Red River College's award-winning Bachelor of Nursing program and its state-of-the-art equipment is coming to Portage la Prairie, permanently.

While local students relocated or commuted to Winnipeg in the past, Red River College (RRC) will now offer its Licensed Practical Nursing to BN pathway at the Portage campus, as well as the winkler location.

The change would allow local LPN's to pursue training to obtain their Registered Nursing designation in their home community.

"It's important to deliver programming that meets the needs of Manitoba's labour market and for many years the Regional Health Authorities asked us to bring our Bachelor of Nursing program to rural Manitoba," Paul Vogt, President and CEO, Red River College says in a release.

Each permanent site in Portage and Winkler will accommodate up to six students annually for the Bachelor of Nursing program, and up to four students in years two and three for the LPN pathway. Enrolment for the programs will be open in the fall of 2018.

The new programs will replace the rotating LPN program, which was offered a numerous temporary sites in rural Manitoba.

The permanent sites will also allow RRC to invest in new state-of-the-art simulation equipment for students.

"It will allow us to make some significant capital investments at the regional campuses in Winkler and Portage," says RRC Spokesperson Conor Loyd.

He notes the program will help meet the growing need for trained nurses in rural Manitoba.

"There's a lot of opportunities... to find gainful employment and some amazing career opportunities to work in the Southern Health region," he says. "There's a growing demand."