A 2023-2026 Strategic Plan will overlap Aurora College and the polytechnic university.  It will guide Aurora College for the second phase of the transformation and the polytechnic university through its initial years.  A 5-year strategic planning cycle for the polytechnic university will begin in 2026.

*The finalized Aurora College/polytechnic university 3-year strategic plan is for 2024-2027, not 2023-2026.

A coherent set of Service Standards that can be applied across all facets of the institution will be drafted and provided to Aurora College for finalizing and implementation.  This will serve as a baseline for many of the institutions key performance indicators (KPIs) to be featured in future Aurora College Corporate Plans. This will be a requirement in order to complete transformation. 

A Board of Governors operating manual that outlines the roles and responsibilities of Board members, as well as accountabilities and reporting requirements is developed by ACT and provided to Aurora College for implemetation. Once established, it will be the responsibility of the Board to update or make changes to the manual. Reinstating the Aurora College Board of Governors is a critical milestone for phase 2 of transformation. 

One of the Working Groups established during phase 1 of transformation will schedule and conduct ongoing policy reviews as part of ongoing operations.

The Polytechnic Facilities Master Plan, which is a phase 2 critical milestone, will propose how the institution will address which programs should be delivered at which Community Learning Centre, strengthen connections to Aurora College campuses and to the secondary school system.

Programs requiring the use of internet bandwidth are understood and plans are in place to increase capacity as and where needed. This is being considered in the IT needs assessment currently underway as part of the Facilities Master Plan work that is a milestone for phase 2 of transformation. 

The Polytechnic Facilities Master Plan, which is a phase 2 critical milestone, will propose enhanced access to recreational facilities in campus communities, enhancing post-secondary experience for our students.  

Through a working group created during phase 1 of transformation, the Board of Governors' recruitment process was developed. This process will provide a guide by which the public can apply to be a member of the Aurora College Board of Governors. The new process will include competency requirements to ensure an effective and efficient Board that is able to lead the institution through the changes required to become a polytechnic university.

Through a working group created during phase 1 of transformation, the Aurora College Electronic Information Learning Environment Policy was updated to better reflect, and align with the needs of programming today and in the future.

Application standards will ensure that every student entering a program has been assessed to ensure they have the prerequisites required to succeed in their chosen program. The transformational aspect of this project has been completed and it will be operationalized through the implementation of the Strategic Enrolment Management Plan.

Aurora College has created a program development team that continue to undertake projects related to program review including the Social Work Program. These efforts will support the phase 2 milestone commitment to reinstante the social work program. 

Building on other engagements with NWT Education Authorities the College, ECE and Education Authorities will explore ways of addressing low post-secondary completion rates and poor transition rates between the secondary and post-secondary systems. To track progress of the extensive work being done in this area, visit:  https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/en/progress-tracker 

A new arm's length governance system for Aurora College will be established through Legislated amendments to the Aurora College Act. 

The Strategic Enrolment Management Plan will support student success and the success of the Plan will be realized when its implementation is included in the budgeting cycle.

A Student Experience Model sets minimum standards that a typical student should experience when applying to, studying at, and graduating from Aurora College. The services and instructional elements of Community Learning Centres will also be considered as part of a Student Experience Model. This will support the development of the Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) Plan. This work was done by Aurora College as part of their efforts to enhance internal policies as they move towards a polytechnic university. 

Working Groups established during phase 1 of transformation, reviewed policies related to records management to ensure all Aurora College policies related to records management are up to date and meet current standards.

Developing a Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) plan will help the College focus its efforts where they are needed most in order to help all Aurora College students achieve success while at the institution and beyond. A SEM plan coordinates the College's core business functions such as student recruitment, student services, and academic program planning to make enrollment growth and stability something that can be predicted and is planned. This work is not a milestone committment, but important to enhancing the instution and preparing for transformation. 

Mandatory training for all Aurora College staff will be scheduled and completed in this academic year to ensure awareness of  the protection of privacy and sharing of personal information.

Working Groups established during phase 1 of transformation support the enhancement of a policy development framework that will better support the institution.

A new Aurora College Executive Leadership Team structure will support the changes and growth of the College both during and after its transforms into a polytechnic university.

The 2020-2021 Corporate Plan for Aurora College is released using a new model.  The model will continue to develop over the next few years and will move the College's corporate planning closer to that of a polytechnic university.

The Aurora College Transformation Implementation Plan commits that over the course of its transformation to the polytechnic university the changes will have a neutral or positive social and economic impact.

During phase 1 of transformation, the GNWT will release an Implementation Plan that lays all of the tasks required to transform Aurora College into a polytechnic university, ensuring that the right changes are made in the right order and at the right time.

A Program Review Policy that meets best practices and national standards is in place and being applied to the review of all existing programs. This policy work was led by one of the Working Groups established during Phase 1 of transformation. The policy will continue to be updated as Aurora College establishes additional capacity related to program review and development.

The new Student Information System (SIS), a GNWT investment in Aurora College, collects and provides accurate and accessible data ensuring the Aurora College Team can meet the demands of a modern post-secondary institution both during and after its transformation into a polytechnic university.

Career and Education Advisors work with students in Grades 9-12 and with youth aged 18-24 to support informed decision making regarding their education and career paths. These groups represent a significant portion of the NWT’s future workforce and their success is critical to the NWT’s economic success.

A committee of Ministers and corresponding committee of Deputy Ministers provide expert advice to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and the Associate Deputy Minister of Post-Secondary Education Renewal on key transformation issues.