As part of a delegation tour on October 16 – and following a visit to Queen’s Park – Her Excellency Lindita Nikolla, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Albania and delegates from the government of Albania toured Niagara College’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
At the invitation of Mr. Greg Fergus, Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, the high-ranking government delegation was in Canada as part of a reciprocal visit. The fall visit followed one by the former speaker to Albania in 2022.
Welcomed by NC Vice-President, International, Sean Coote, the visit included a tour of the culinary labs, Teaching Greenhouse and nursery, and Wine Visitor and Education Centre.
“As we expand the global reach of Niagara College to support our students in becoming world-ready graduates, we were honoured to welcome Her Excellency, Lindita Nikolla, of the Republic of Albanian and delegates to see what makes an NC education so sought-after by students from around the world,” said Vice-President Coote.
Her Excellency Lindita Nikolla, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Albania was formerly the Minister of Education in Albanian, making the tour of NC of particular interest.
The delegates enjoyed fresh baked cookies and iced tea presented by students in NC’s culinary programs while VP Coote gave them an overview of the College in Benchmark.
Dean of Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies Craig Youdale led a tour of NC’s culinary labs where the delegation observed students doing cold preparation as part of their final exams.
The Albanian delegation stopped in NC’s Teaching Greenhouse to see where teaching and enterprise activities take place.
In the Wine VEC, esteemed guests sampled award-winning student-made wine – Balance Brut Sparkling, NC’s take on champagne – and learned about NC’s expertise in winemaking, brewing and distilling from Steve Gil, General Manager of NC’s Learning Enterprise Corporation.
The delegation from the Republic of Albania included Mr. Agron Gjekmarkaj, Deputy Speaker, Mr. Eduard Ndreca, Member of the of the Parliament, Mr. Ermal Muça, Ambassador of the Republic of Albania in Canada, and members of staff.
