Portage College and the University of Calgary have signed a renewal agreement to provide Portage students the opportunity to turn their Community Social Work diploma into a Bachelor of Social Work degree.

The transfer agreement was renewed May 2019 and will last until 2022. In addition to this transfer agreement, Portage College currently has over 150 individual course transfers to post-secondaries across the province as well as to all Alberta public Universities.

Community Social Work students benefit by starting at Portage College campuses before they transfer their studies to larger institutions. A smaller ratio of students and staff offers a chance for more direct help from professors. By being able to complete their studies in a familiar region, this provides students access to their support systems outside of college.

Lac La Biche and Cold Lake campuses will offer the Community Social Work program in the fall of 2019.

"It is a great opportunity for students to pursue their Bachelor of Social Work Degree." Robin Tizzard, Dean of Human Services says. "We're excited to continue this wonderful relationship for our students to complete their degree at an institution they aspire to attend."

"Portage College program areas have been working very hard to forge relationships with other institutions for the betterment of our students," says Nancy Broadbent, President & CEO of Portage College. "We are so proud to be bringing these opportunities to rural Albertans."

The Community Social Work Diploma program at Portage College provides students with practical training and experience. Their careers are about providing support to individuals when they need it most in life.

To find out more about Portage College's Community Social Work program, please call 1-866-623-5551 or complete the online Information Request Form HERE.

Media Inquiries: 
Jaime Davies, Corporate Communications Manager 
780-623-5581 or email