Simcoe County presented a cheque of $1 million to Lakehead University on Tuesday.
The gift is part of the county’s annual pledge to improve access to post-secondary education across the region.
“Our investment in post-secondary educational institutions supports our economy, helps to expand our labour market and provides local access to world-class education for our residents, including the 654 Simcoe County students currently enrolled at Lakehead University,” Simcoe County Warden George Cornell said in a statement.
“Our 10-year funding commitment of $10 million supports Lakehead’s innovative programming and ensures that Simcoe County has well-educated, job-ready candidates to help grow our 16,000 area businesses.”
According to Lakehead University’s president and vice chancellor, Moira McPherson, 96.7 per cent of the school’s students find work in their field of study within two years, which is above the provincial average.
“Our commitment to helping students overcome barriers to access and offering every student a transformative experience is reflected in our unique pathways to entry, student support programs, extensive opportunities for experiential learning and research, strong retention and graduation, and impressive employment outcomes,” McPherson said in a statement.
Tuesday’s donation brings Simcoe County’s contributions to Lakehead University to $9.5 million since 2009.