CALGARY - Bow Valley College (BVC) and BMO Financial Group celebrate a new partnership with the launch of the BMO Centre for Experiential Learning on March 19, 2015.

Thanks to a generous $250,000 donation from BMO, the new Centre will enable students in BVC's Chiu School of Business to learn soft skills that cannot be taught in a classroom, and to acquire knowledge that can only be attained in an immersive learning environment. This experience will help graduates gain the skills employers want, and it will also give them a critical edge in a competitive job market.

"I'm really proud of the relationship BMO and Bow Valley College have built together and I'm excited to see how the BMO Centre for Experiential Learning at the Chiu School of Business will improve student learning and workplace integration in Alberta over the next few years," said Susan Brown, Senior Vice President, Alberta & Northwest Territories at BMO Bank of Montreal. "The BMO Centre for Experiential Learning will focus on the critical decision making skills and problem solving abilities students need to become strong ambassadors for their workplaces. Together we are preparing students to communicate effectively and have successful interactions so they can be job ready when they graduate."

The BMO Centre for Experiential Learning will promote greater engagement of industry and prospective employers, which will help to launch BVC graduates into their careers. The Centre will focus on four main areas, including peer tutoring, a student development program, case competitions, community service learning and social entrepreneurship.

"We are very excited about this innovative collaboration between BMO and Bow Valley College," said David Allwright, Dean, Chiu School of Business. "Our students will benefit from this enterprise as they experience real-world working scenarios, which will teach them such soft skills as interpersonal and intercultural communications, analyzing and problem solving in a team setting, and taking initiative in the workplace."

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About Bow Valley College

Bow Valley College - Calgary and region's only Comprehensive Community College - with more than 15,000 students, is a leader in business and health career training, adult upgrading, and English Language Learning. BVC's Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES), workplace training for immigrant professionals, and employment services provide a wide range of services for businesses and professionals.

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified financial services organization based in North America. The bank offers a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers. BMO Financial Group had total assets of approximately $672 billion and more than 47,000 employees at January 31, 2015.