Colleges Ontario

(TORONTO, Aug. 16, 2011) – Candidates in the upcoming provincial election must commit to helping students transfer between college and university without losing time or money.

 

Specifically, the next government must guarantee that any college or university student who transfers to another public institution will get recognition for at least two-thirds of that student's already-completed credits in related programs.

 

"Ontario needs to do a better job preparing people for the workforce," said Linda Franklin, president and CEO of Colleges Ontario. "We must transform higher education so that students can fulfil their postsecondary education goals effectively and efficiently."

 

More and more students are attending both college and university. Setting a clear requirement for recognizing completed postsecondary credits would help these students get the education they need faster and at less cost. And it would allow graduates to get into the workforce more quickly.

 

This is urgent because Ontario faces a skills shortage crisis. A groundbreaking report released last year, called People Without Jobs, Jobs Without People, predicts more than one-million jobs will go unfilled by 2021 due to retirements and demographic changes.

 

The colleges' platform to transform higher education also includes:

• Broadening apprenticeship opportunities by having colleges administer the apprenticeship system.
• Providing more funding for college-based research that helps businesses become more innovative.
  

 

"Our candidates are talking about putting students first and creating a dynamic economy," Franklin said. "We support these goals and urge the parties to endorse the college proposals to help greater numbers of people achieve success."

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For more information:

Sally Ritchie
Manager, Media Relations and Communications
Colleges Ontario
647 258-7686
647 217-4109 (Cell)

ritchie@collegesontario.org