FORT SMITH
Aurora College restructuring delivery of academic upgrading for 2025-2026

In order to modernize Aurora College's delivery of academic upgrading and to resolve the ongoing issues of low enrolment at the Community Learning Centres, the Aurora College Board of Governors has made the unanimous decision to close all Community Learning Centres as of June 30, 2025.

Over the past several years, enrolment and completion rates at the Community Learning Centres have been falling dramatically. The current delivery model has been in place for a few decades and has become prohibitively expensive, outdated, and ineffective. The Community Learning Centres are not meeting the needs of learners and communities as a result of these serious issues.

Aurora College will continue to offer academic upgrading options in person at its three campuses, as well as through online deliveries. Upgrading offered by Aurora College will focus on academic pre-requisites for the College's post-secondary and trades programming. To support the new focus, Aurora College is withdrawing from the partnership with Inclusion NWT, which operates the Yellowknife Literacy Outreach Centre, as of June 30, 2025, and will no longer be offering literacy-level programming.

Aurora College has been committed to providing relevant, quality programming and services to post-secondary and adult upgrading education in the Northwest Territories for more than 50 years. Aurora College will continue to engage with NWT communities, businesses, governments and agencies to explore new ways to deliver quality programming that prepares Northern students to succeed.

Quote:
"It is the responsibility of the Board of Governors to ensure that Aurora College continues to be efficient, effective, and sustainable, especially as the College transforms to a polytechnic university. The ongoing low enrolments and completion rates at the Community Learning Centres are evidence that the current way of delivering academic upgrading is no longer working, so changes must be made to ensure the College continues to meet the current and future needs of learners, communities, and the Northern labour market."

• Joseph Handley, Chairperson, Board of Governors, Aurora College

Quick facts:

• Thirty-one indeterminate and term employees may be impacted. There are also several casual positions that will not be renewed and vacant positions that will not be filled.
• Employees who may be impacted received informal advance notices of CLC closures on Thursday, January 23, 2025. Official notification will be provided to impacted employees on or after March 20, 2025.
• Aurora College is in the process of sharing the related information and next steps with all impacted students, community partners, education partners, Indigenous and municipal governments, and others.
• Aurora College will work with impacted students and others to help them consider their options for academic upgrading.
• Aurora College has operated Community Learning Centres on behalf of the territorial government for more than 25 years.