Political parties urged to enrich Ontario by strengthening college education

May 7, 2018

New measures to enhance career-specific degree programs at colleges, strengthen mental health supports for students and transform apprenticeship training are among the priorities for Ontario’s colleges in the upcoming provincial election.

“It’s an exciting time – Ontario has a postsecondary system we can all be proud of,” says MaryLynn West-Moynes, Georgian President and CEO. “We want to capitalize on the strengths of the college system and have put forward four priorities to ensure more students get to enroll in high-quality programs that lead to great careers.”

The 24 colleges officially launched their election platform today. The platform, Enriching Ontario, highlights four priority areas that will ensure greater numbers of students acquire the professional and technical expertise that leads to successful careers.

Colleges are calling for the provincial parties to enrich the opportunities for students by committing to the following:

• Revitalize college programs. Provide colleges with the ability to quickly design and implement leading-edge programs, including the expansion of career-specific degree programs.
• Strengthen mental health services. Commit to a whole-of-community approach to mental health that strengthens the supports and services available to postsecondary students.
• Produce more apprentices. Create a simplified, one-window application process to apprenticeship programs by expanding the college system’s provincial application service.
• Invest in student success. Commit to the long-term sustainability of college education and fund the expansion of science, technology, engineering, arts and math programs by 30 per cent over four years.

More than 240,000 full-time students and about 300,000 part-time students are enrolled in the 900 programs at Ontario’s colleges, in programs ranging from business, paramedicine, advertising, engineering, aviation, machining and animation to game development, biotechnology and 3D manufacturing.

Colleges serve a diverse range of students, including university and college graduates in post-graduate programs. The number of university graduates enrolled in colleges has increased by about 40 per cent over the past five years and more than 83 per cent of college graduates find employment within six months of graduation.

“Every week, I hear from employers in our communities who reinforce the need for more highly skilled talent,” says West-Moynes. “We must ensure college education remains at the forefront, driving innovation and addressing the needs of a rapidly evolving economy.”