Northern Lakes College is a publicly-funded comprehensive community college in north-central Alberta, Canada. Administrative offices are located in Slave Lake and Grouard, Alberta, with a staff of more than 275 working in more than 30 campuses. The college connects students from throughout the region with the latest in real-time teaching and learning techonology to create manageable class cohorts. The college offers education and training programs that include: trades and apprenticeship, career education, university studies and work force development. Career choices include the following: The following communities are served by Northern Lakes College: The college was established on August 25, 1999, on the foundation of Alberta Vocational College. Alberta Vocational College was in turn formed in 1988, by the amalgamation of Alberta Vocational Centre Grouard and a network of 26 community vocational centres for first nations students in northern Alberta. On 1 September 1997, the college was converted from a provincially administered school into a public board governed college.