Representatives from Red Deer College, along with members of several school boards across central Alberta signed a Learning Pathways in Central Alberta, a Memorandum of Understanding last night at a ceremony at Red Deer College.

This was actually a renewing of a memorandum which was signed back in 2013. The purpose of both is to ensure a continued partnership between RDC and several school divisions in the area.

This provides an effective relationship between the institutions, and is designed to increase educational choices, and make it easier for students to pursue those choices.

Representatives from Chinooks Edge School Division, Clearview School Division, Prairie Land School Division, Red Deer Catholic School Division, Red Deer Public School Division, Wild Rose Public School Division, and Wolf Creek public School Division all signed the memorandum, along with representatives from RDC.

"This partnership focuses on supporting and providing opportunities for learners in central Alberta, and this is something we are all very passionate about," said Joel ward, RDC President and CEO said in a statement. "By working together, we're providing pathways to help students complete their high school education and transition to post-secondary."

Morris Flewwelling is the Chairman of the Board of Governors for RDC, and he talks about one of the programs made possible by this memorandum that he is particularly proud of, an elementary school reading program.

"Red Deer Public Schools have a summer reading program for children, who've been identified very early, in grade 2, that they are behind the ball in reading. So the College makes its facility available, and they run a summer reading program here, in which the kids are able to get up to grade, and usually exceed. And that's been going for 5 years, and as mayor, I had the opportunity to kick that off."