Colleges support HEQCO's call for government to make a decision on three-year degrees

TORONTO, April 4, 2013 /CNW/ - Ontario's colleges support the statement in a new Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) report that calls on the province to make a decision on proposed three-year degree programs at the colleges.

"It's time to elevate Ontario to international standards," said Linda Franklin, the president and CEO of Colleges Ontario. "Expanding the degree programs at colleges will play an essential part in addressing the skills mismatch that is crippling our economy."

Ontario's colleges currently have the ability to offer degrees to graduates of four-year college programs. However, the colleges can only provide diplomas to graduates of the three-year programs.

That puts Ontario at an international disadvantage. In most of the world, graduates of three-year college programs receive degrees, rather than diplomas. The distinction allows colleges outside Ontario to encourage more students to pursue career-specific degree programs that are attractive to employers.

In a submission last year, the colleges called for policy reforms to allow Ontario colleges to offer three-year degree programs within a high-quality framework comparable to the quality standards already in place for four-year degrees.

A report released today by HEQCO, called Quality: Shifting the Focus, says it is time for the government to make a decision on the proposed three-year college degrees. Responding to the HEQCO report, Franklin said a favourable decision would help strengthen the province's economy.

Ontario is being hurt by the skills mismatch - the mismatch between the skills held by jobless people seeking work and the qualifications sought by employers who have vacant job openings. That situation will get worse as technology transforms the workplace, with more than 700,000 Ontarians expected to be unemployable by 2021 due to insufficient education and skills.

"Closing the skills gap must be a priority for the Wynne government," Franklin said. "Colleges are eager to work with the government to promote a full range of career-specific degree, diploma and apprenticeship programs."

The colleges also support HEQCO's recommendation to increase the enrolment of international students at colleges and universities. It will be important for the province to adopt the colleges' proposal to remove the financial barriers from the 2012 budget that could discourage some students from coming to Ontario.

"We have an opportunity to transform higher education to better serve students and promote a stronger economy," Franklin said. "We look forward to partnering with the new government to strengthen post-secondary education in this province."

SOURCE: Colleges Ontario

Karen Horsman
Manager, Media Relations and Communications
Colleges Ontario
647-258-7686
[email protected]