Ornge and AgustaWestland announced today the Ornge-AgustaWestland Endowment Fund for Aboriginal Learners in the amount of $250,000.

Ornge partnered with AgustaWestland to address the growing demand for services and skilled Aboriginal employees in the north and this is the single largest external donation for financial aid Confederation College has ever received. “As a crucial provider of transport medicine services to many Aboriginal communities in northern Ontario, Ornge is proud to provide financial support to the students that represent them,” said Dr. Christopher Mazza, President and CEO of Ornge. “With this award, we will empower Aboriginal students to be future leaders in aviation and paramedical services, sharing our mission to deliver excellent patient care throughout the province.”

“We are extremely pleased to offer this award along with our partners, says Giuseppe Orsi AgustaWestland CEO. “Together with Ornge and Confederation College, we are pleased to be able to open doors to aboriginal students who may wish to pursue a career in transport medicine but may not have the means. We intend to close that gap.”

Patricia Lang, President of Confederation College says that the demand for health care services throughout Northwestern Ontario is growing and it is a goal of the college to meet this growing demand. “Our goal is to be very responsive to the communities we serve ensuring they have access to a skilled workforce,” says President Lang. “The Ornge-AgustaWestland Endowment Fund will make a difference in encouraging Aboriginal students to pursue a career as a Paramedic or a Pilot. These Aboriginal students will not only enhance their lives as they pursue their chosen career, but also help to address the growing demand for health service providers within the northwest region.”

Michael Gravelle, MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, was on hand today to take part in the announcement. “I applaud the companies Ornge and AgustaWestland in their contribution to the development and growth of Aboriginal learners and future employees. Confederation College has a long history of education excellence and the combination of private and public sector partnership will serve all of us in the north, extremely well.”

Confederation College intends to pursue matching funding from the Province of Ontario Trust for Student Support, an existing matching dollar program supporting access to higher education.

Students will begin applying for the award beginning the fall of 2011 and can access information through the Financial Aid office at Confederation College. It is expected between one and three awards will be presented per year.

Leona Scanlon, member of the Board of Governors and member of Negahneewin Council, stated “Education funding continues to be a barrier to access for Aboriginal youth. This contribution will go far in enhancing the pathway to education and training.”

Ornge is Canada’s leading innovator in the emerging field of transport medicine, and operates from a number of bases across the province of Ontario and performs approximately 20,000 admissions annually. It coordinates all aspects of Ontario’s aero medical transport system, the new critical care land transport program, and the authorization of air and land ambulance transfers between hospitals. Ornge is dedicated to the provision of high quality patient care through innovative transport medicine.

AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is a technology leader in its markets and has an unrivalled range of rotorcraft products designed to satisfy the requirements of commercial and military customers. AgustaWestland has its main operations in Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Confederation College has been serving the citizens of Northwestern Ontario since 1967 meeting the educational needs of students in a catchment area of some 550,000 square kilometers. Along with its main campus in Thunder Bay, Confederation College has six regional sites located in Dryden, Fort Frances, Geraldton, Kenora, Marathon, and Sioux Lookout.

Confederation College delivers exceptional education and training to an average of 11,800 combined full and part time students per year and currently has a total of 600 full and part time employees. Confederation’s regional economic impact and contribution is valued at $ 800 million annually.