A partnership between the nursing school at the University of Alabama and Jefferson Davis Community College will benefit students as well as the community, officials from both schools said Wednesday as they signed an agreement.

The partnership will allow local students to take classes for advanced degrees through UA’s Capstone College of Nursing without having to travel to Tuscaloosa.

“We want people to have all the opportunities,” Capstone College of Nursing Dean Dr. Sara Barger said. “We know they are not limitless for some. … The real winners are your graduates and current students and your community. When you increase education, people make fewer mistakes and patients get better care.”

JDCC President Dr. Susan McBride said the partnership can also benefit the local healthcare community.

“When people have to leave the community for education, they don’t always come back,” she said.

The program will begin this fall.