Actions to Improve Integrity of Postsecondary Education

NEWS RELEASE

Ontario Taking Action to Improve Integrity of Postsecondary Education and Promote Employment in Critical Sectors

Changes will help get more young people into rewarding careers in health care and skilled trades

TORONTO – The Ontario government will introduce a suite of measures to protect students and improve the integrity of Ontario’s postsecondary education.


“The challenges stemming from the recent spike in students coming to Canada, including predatory practices by bad-actor recruiters, misinformation regarding citizenship and permanent residency, false promises of guaranteed employment, and inadequate housing for students, require immediate attention and collaborative action,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “At the same time, we need to strengthen the links between Ontario’s labour market needs and the programs being offered to students so we can get even more people into rewarding careers in health care and the skilled trades.”

To protect the integrity of postsecondary education and promote employment in critical sectors like health care and the skilled trades, the government’s measures will include the following:

Colleges and Universities

• Institute a review of programs offered by postsecondary institutions that have a sizeable amount of international students to ensure that program quality protects Ontario’s reputation as a world leader in education and meets Ontario’s labour market demands.
• Ensure that programs being offered are meeting the needs of the labour market so that students can build a life in Ontario once their education is complete.
• Introduce a moratorium on new public college-private partnerships while further work is done to strengthen oversight mechanisms and ensure the quality of existing partnerships.
• Implement measures to improve the response rate to student outcome surveys that will help ensure the best academic outcomes are being achieved.
• Require all colleges and universities to have a guarantee that housing options are available for incoming international students.

Career Colleges

• Better integrate enforcement efforts across ministries to strengthen oversight of career colleges, including enhanced data management, documentation processes, and the efficacy of compliance investigations, ensuring timely responses to concerns and complaints.

The Ontario government will also work with sector partners and the federal government to explore ways to further crack down on bad-actor recruiters who take advantage of international students and make dubious claims of employment and citizenship.

“We must find more ways to work together to combat gross recruitment practices while protecting our ability to attract the world’s best and brightest to study here in Ontario,” said Minister Dunlop. “These actions will also ensure that we implement sensible policies that protect against worsening Ontario’s housing affordability issues. We need to ensure that students coming to study here have a place to live.”

The government is also continuing to evaluate the recommendations on postsecondary financial stability that were submitted by the blue-ribbon panel late last year. As this review process continues, the government will work closely with the sector to reach an outcome that provides stability and certainty for postsecondary institutions and students alike, with further details to be announced by the end of February.

As the Ontario government takes the necessary action to protect students, it will work jointly with the federal government to protect the stability of post-secondary education across the province and country.

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Quick Facts

• Postsecondary institutions are important sources of job creation, skills training, research, innovation and commercialization, making them leading contributors to Ontario’s overall economic growth.
• Every $1 invested in postsecondary education generates a positive economic return on investment estimated at $1.36.

Full Release:

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1004117/ontario-taking-action-to-improve-integrity-of-postsecondary-education-and-promote-employment-in-critical-sectors

TEPPERMAN FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP GIVEAWAY

In September of 1998, the Tepperman family, on behalf of our staff, launched a scholarship program aimed at supporting children's education in Southwestern Ontario. 

Every month, Tepperman’s draws two random winners from the entrants and gives away a $1,000 scholarship towards the winners' post-secondary education. That’s an investment of $24,000 per year into the program.

No purchase is necessary.

TO DATE MORE THAN $600,000 HAS BEEN INVESTED IN THE CANADIAN SCHOLARSHIP TRUST REGISTERED EDUCATION SAVINGS PLAN.

The scholarship will be invested in a Registered Education Scholarship Trust Plan, which will keep increasing in value through the years until it is put to use for higher education.

Every month you can enter your child, 15 years or younger, for their chance to win a $1,000 scholarship. This is only one of the ways the Tepperman family has chosen to give back to the communities that support us.

Ballots can be completed using the link to the form below. 

https://www.teppermans.com/scholarship

Ontario Plans to Boost Math, Writing and Reading Skills

Ontario is investing more than $71 million in 2023-24 in a new math plan, supported by the recently introduced modernized math curriculum that mandates financial literacy and coding in every grade.

The province’s plan to boost math skills will:

• Support more than 300 educators to support student learning in math
• Double the number of school math coaches in classrooms to provide direct support to teachers and students
• Introduce one math lead per board to spearhead math curriculum implementation and standardize training, and provide additional supports for math coaches in the classrooms
• Expand access to digital math tools that students and parents can access anytime
• Continue live teacher-led virtual tutoring services focused on math
• Enhance skills of new teachers through dedicated training and covering costs of additional math qualification courses to enhance math fluency and competency.

To further support students facing challenges with math, the government is deploying Math Action Teams to school boards or schools to raise standards, training and student outcomes. Teams will work with school boards to identify and recommend targeted, evidence-based responses to improve math achievement for Ontario students.

To help more young students build stronger reading skills, the province is investing $109 million in 2023-24 to boost literacy rates, which will:

• Introduce new, Canada-leading, early reading screening requirements for all students in Year 2 of Kindergarten to Grade 2, along with a standardized and fully funded screening tool and training for educators, to ensure students receive the necessary foundational skills and early interventions in reading that are critical to future success
• Fund additional specialist teachers who can work one-on-one or in small groups to help students who need additional support in reading
• Invest in almost 700 educators to support development and excellence in literacy for Ontario students
• Introduce an overhauled language curriculum in September of 2023 with an emphasis on ensuring students at an early age can master basic literacy.

“This investment is an investment in our kids’ futures. Supporting them to develop strong, life-long skills in important areas like reading, writing and math will set our kids up for success in the long run,” said Patrice Barnes, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education. “I am proud this government is providing our kids with the opportunity to achieve success today, tomorrow and in the jobs of the future.”

read full details here:

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1002937/ontario-launches-plan-to-boost-math-writing-and-reading-skills

Ontario Preparing Students for Jobs of the Future

The Ontario government is implementing a new high school graduation requirement to help better prepare students across our province for the jobs of tomorrow. Starting with students entering Grade 9 in September 2024, all students will now be required to earn a Grade 9 or 10 Technological Education credit as part of their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education said "By requiring students to take at least one Technological Education credit in high school, we are opening up doors and creating new pathways to good jobs in STEM and the skilled trades. All students will benefit from a greater emphasis on hands-on learning experiences and technical skills in the classroom so they can graduate with a competitive advantage in this country."

This new learning graduation requirement will expose Ontario’s students to at least one Technological Education course that could guide them to a future career in the highly skilled workforce, including the skilled trades. With more than 100,000 unfilled skilled trades jobs right now, it is critical Ontario attracts more young people to pursue a fulfilling, good-paying career in the trades.

The Technological Education curriculum covers a broad range of sectors, including construction, transportation, manufacturing, computer technology, hospitality and communication. In Ontario, men make up more than 70 per cent of workers in trades-related occupations. The exposure to these career pathways as a mandatory graduation curriculum requirement will ensure more young women make the choice to pursue a career in the trades.

This new graduation requirement builds upon other actions taken by the government to bolster its Skilled Trades Strategy, including developing an accelerated Grade 11 to apprenticeship pathway for students to get into the skilled trades faster.

“Ontario is facing the largest labour shortage in a generation, which means when you have a career in the skilled trades, you have a career for life,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “That’s why our government is taking an all-hands-on deck approach to attract and train our next generation of skilled trades workers for better jobs and bigger paycheques for themselves and their families.”

read full details here:

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1002810/ontario-preparing-students-for-jobs-of-the-future

New and Expanded Medical Schools Announced across Canada

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_schools_in_Canada

The College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan

REGINA – The College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is celebrating the expansion of its Regina-based undergraduate medical doctor (MD) program with the grand opening of its new campus facilities. The ribbon cutting ceremony officially marks the expansion of the MD program in Regina to the full four years and celebrates the MD program being based in two Saskatchewan cities.

A new medical school for B.C.

The provincial government is enhancing primary care and access to family doctors across B.C. Part of this work includes the creation of a medical school at SFU to educate more doctors to serve underserved populations and to improve care throughout the province.

Ontario Training More Doctors

Expanded undergraduate and postgraduate medical school positions will be allocated as follows:

• Ryerson University will receive 80 undergraduate seats and 95 postgraduate positions
• University of Toronto will receive 30 undergraduate seats and 45 postgraduate positions
• Northern Ontario School of Medicine will receive 30 undergraduate seats, and 41 postgraduate positions
• Queen’s University will receive 20 undergraduate seats and 30 postgraduate positions
• Western University, McMaster University and University of Ottawa will each receive 28 postgraduate positions.

UPEI creating medical school co-degree'

The University of Prince Edward Island announced that it is creating a new faculty of medicine, in partnership with Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador. The faculty will provide 20 seats for Island students, including at least one for an Indigenous student.

Medical school to open at Cape Breton University by 2025, Houston says

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston's state of the province address focused on the government's firm commitment to fix health care and included the announcement of a new medical school for Cape Breton University.

See "My Video Education" on

High Cost of Medical Education and Training

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Canadian Senior and Intermediate Mathematics Contests

 The Canadian Senior and Intermediate Mathematics Contests (CSMC and CIMC) are two contests designed to give students the opportunity to have fun and develop their mathematical problem-solving ability.

Audience

Students in Grade 10 or 9 or below are eligible to write the CIMC.

Students in Grade 12 or 11 and CÉGEP students are eligible to write the CSMC.

Date

Written in November. Visit https://www.cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests/our-contests.html for dates and deadlines for the current year.

Format

9 questions; 6 are answer only and 3 are full-solution

2 hours

Score out of 60

Marks are awarded for completeness, clarity, and style of presentation. A correct solution, poorly presented, will not earn full marks.

Written by individuals on paper Some calculators permitted

Mathematical Content

Most of the CIMC problems are based on the mathematical curriculum up to and including Grade 10. Most of the CSMC problems are based on the mathematical curriculum up to and including the final year of secondary school.

Practicing with past contests is a great way for students to get to know the style of questions that appear on these contests, as well as common topics. 

Students can also prepare by reviewing our open courseware. We also have some preparation materials  which are specifically aimed at the CSMC contest.

Contest Supervision

Contest Supervisors should arrange to have students write the contest at school and are responsible for ensuring that students are supervised appropriately.

Once the contest has been written, all of the contest materials should be returned to the CEMC in one package for marking.

Results will be sent to the Contest Supervisor by email and will also be available in the Contest Supervisor Portal four to six weeks after the contest date.

For additional details:

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The Alberta 2030 initiative will transform the adult learning system

 Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs is a transformational vision and direction to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, strengthen innovation and commercialization of research, and forge stronger relationships between employers and post-secondary institutions.

Key Goals:

1.

Improve access and student experience

Ensure all Albertans have access to high quality post-secondary opportunities and that the student experience is coordinated and integrated.

2.

Develop skills for jobs

Ensure every student has the skills, knowledge and competencies to enjoy fulfilling lives and careers and that they have greater transparency around labour market outcomes.

3.

Support innovation and commercialization

Contribute to Alberta’s innovation capacity by supporting post-secondary research and strengthening its commercialization potential to create new knowledge, develop future skills and diversify the economy.

4.

Strengthen internationalization

Become a leading destination for top talent to drive the growth of skills, ideas and innovations locally and globally.

5.

Improve sustainability and affordability

Provide institutions greater flexibility to generate own-source revenue and strengthen student aid.

6.

Strengthen system governance

Modernize governance of the system to increase collaboration and drive outcomes.

Link to full summary:

https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-2030-building-skills-for-jobs.aspx

Link to Complete Program details:

https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/edc7198f-ae0e-4ded-be2f-db00302a2830/resource/155a3cd0-3152-4911-9466-886534fe6fb7/download/ae-alberta-international-education-strategy-2020.pdf

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Skilled trades in Ontario High Schools

 The skilled trades offer students a variety of rewarding and lucrative career opportunities. With specialty training, hands-on work and jobs in high-demand, skilled trades give students a wide range of secure, high-paying and satisfying careers.

Job skills programs in High schools across Ontario offer job skills programs to help young people recognize skilled trades and apprenticeships as a career of choice.

Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM)

This innovative program lets high school students in Grades 11 and 12 focus on a career path that matches their skills and interests while earning their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

Students can concentrate their learning around a particular sector gain important skills on the job with actual employers, at skills training centres and at school earn industry certifications.

Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) programs are available in 19 sectors including:

agriculture

aviation/aerospace

construction

energy

environment

food processing

forestry

horticulture and landscaping

hospitality and tourism

information and communications technology

manufacturing

mining

transportation

Find an SHSM program

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Types of Schools in Canada

 

University in Canada

Canada has a fine selection of University programs for Bachelor, Masters, Doctorate Degrees and Postdoctoral positions. The specialties include some of the World's finest cutting-edge original technology and the tradition bound fundamental disciplines. Most professions require a university education and professional certification process. Examples are doctors, nurses, engineers, architects, dentists, teachers, accountants and lawyers. Admission to the programs is dependent on the individual Universities and usually includes English language skills and prerequisite courses.

Colleges in Canada

There is a wide variety of quality in Colleges in Canada. There are some excellent college programs that offer two or three year programs that are the finest in the world and can be used as credit towards a university degree. Most technical careers require a community college diploma and professional certification process. Examples are x-ray technicians, network analyst, lab technician, CADD design. Many colleges offer two or three year diploma programs with some programs lasting only six months for a certificate.

Career Training

There are over 1000 career training programs that prepare students for well paying jobs in Canada. These career training programs offer instruction from industry professionals that offer true industry experience, current techniques and may include work-study cooperative placements. Many of the career training programs prepare candidates for industry or association tests and certification.

Skills Training

Many skills training programs are at the beginner or intermediate level for personal use. They can be life skills such as driving or cooking. A cooking skills course can be an introduction to equipment and food preparation for personal use. The more detailed career training will start at the beginner levels and progress to an advanced level where the course graduates can work in the industry.

LINC Language Instruction for New Canadians

The Government of Canada, in cooperation with local school boards, community colleges, immigrant and community organizations, offers language training across Canada. The name of the program is LINC, which stands for Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada. This program is designed for adults. Newcomers under the age of 18 will be language level tested and put into ESL programs in the elementary or secondary schools in their local school board district.
Link to LINC Programs in Canada (language instruction for new Canadians)

Leisure Schools

These schools can be combinations of skills, participation and academic, historical or technical information for personal use. There are leisure classes for yoga, running, resistance training, swimming, sailing, scuba diving, hang gliding, flying, music and art appreciation, dance, poetry, theatre, movies, interior design, decorating, every type of sport, philosophy, ethics and 1,000 more.

Public Elementary and Secondary Schools

In Ontario for example, children aged 6 - 18 must attend school. The Education Act is the law that governs public schools in Ontario. It says that children aged 6-18 must attend school. Many children can begin a full day kindergarten program at age 4. It is important to know that all children aged 6-18 can attend school, regardless of their immigration status or the immigration status of their parents. This is outlined in the Education Act, the law that governs public schools in Ontario.

Provincial and Territorial Departments and Ministries are responsible for public elementary and secondary schools in Canada
Link to: Provincial and Territorial Departments and Ministries of Education

List of Ontario Ministry of Education ESL courses in High School and OAC Credit System Explanation

Private Elementary and Secondary Schools

In Ontario, private schools operate as businesses or non-profit organizations independently of the Ministry of Education and in accordance with the requirements set by the Education Act. Private schools do not receive any funding or other financial support from the government. The Ministry of Education does not regulate, licence, accredit or otherwise oversee the operation of private schools. Parents, guardians and students must do their research before registering for private schools. Information on a particular school's educational program, business practices and other policies should be obtained from the school directly, prior to registration.

Private Language Schools

Private language schools provide their training to international students and visitors to Canada who do not qualify for the public or LINC programs. The private language schools are for profit businesses and can be heaven or hell for students. ESL in Canada has been in over a 100 schools and can say with a fair degree of experience that 10% are above average, 50% average, 30% below average and 20 % either expensive babysitting or garbage. Please read the "FAQs", "Consumer Alert", "Questions to Ask" "Can your Agent help You" articles before signing up for a private language school.

Lists of Private ESL English as a Second language Schools in Canada

Private Language Teachers

Good News about English Lessons in Canada - Some of the best ESL English teachers in the world teach in Canada.

The official ESL in Canada recommendation for serious students over the age of 18 is to hire a professional ESL English tutor.

Please read this ESL Tutors page for additional information

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Polar Bear Online English Class Schedule

 

Mondays

10 AM casual general 

12 Noon executive business communications

5 PM current events and topics

6 PM test preparation

7 PM test preparation

Tuesdays 

6 PM intermediate conversation

Wednesdays

10 AM casual general 

12 Noon executive business communications

5 PM current events and topics

6 PM digital marketing

Thursdays

5 PM beginner conversation and grammar

6 PM writing

Saturdays

8:30 AM beginner conversation and grammar

9:30 AM beginner conversation and grammar

ESL in Canada provides agency services for students wishing to study English online.

eslincanada@gmail.com

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List of education blogs below the posts.