Canadore College is pleased with new investments in the Ontario Fall 2020 budget
Nov 6, 2020 | Cindy Males, Public Relations and Communications Specialist
Canadore College President George Burton welcomes the Government of Ontario’s investment for the first time in micro-credential retraining programs and its ongoing commitment to technology and infrastructure investments announced in yesterday’s Fall 2020 provincial budget.
“Canadore is pleased with the government’s ongoing support and investments to ensure we have a workforce to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” he said. “It is only through ongoing investments in workforce training and applied learning that we will ensure a strong Ontario.”
“Many of our students come from rural and remote areas and the much needed investment in broadband access will help create greater opportunities for our students and their communities by reducing the digital divide. Continuing investments in technology and modern learning environments is essential to help students attain the skills required to be successful in the evolving job market,” said Burton.
The 2020 Ontario Budget tabled on Thursday announced $59.5 million over three years to support Ontario’s new micro-credentials strategy, which will help people retrain and upgrade their skills to find new employment.
The funding will be used to create an online portal of micro-credential training opportunities, develop new micro-credential programs, and to establish a virtual passport that creates opportunities for people in the programs to pursue further learning. The government also announced that students enrolled in qualified programs will be eligible to receive student assistance.
Expanding micro-credential programs was one of the recommendations in a recent white paper, The Future of Ontario’s Workers, by the StrategyCorp Institute of Public Policy and Economy. It was submitted to Colleges and Universities Minister Ross Romano as part of the minister’s consultations on modernizing higher education.
The paper has also recommended other important steps Ontario must take to produce a strong workforce that will drive economic growth. One of the most important is the recommendation for colleges to get approval to offer career-specific three-year degree programs.
“These recommendations align with Canadore’s priorities for future growth,’ said Burton. “Colleges continue to be pivotal to the efforts to restore Ontario as an economic powerhouse, and we are keen to work with the province to become world leaders in post-secondary education.”
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Canadore College trains people through applied learning, leadership and innovation. It provides access to over 80 full-time quality programs and has outstanding faculty and provides success services to students from nearly 400 Canadian communities and 15 international countries. The College and its students add nearly $244 million to Nipissing Parry Sound Service Area economy. Approximately 1,000 students graduate from Canadore each year, and they join 46,000 alumni working across the globe. Canadore receives less than 50 per cent of its traditional funding from the provincial Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and relies on its own innovation and entrepreneurial endeavors and generous donors for the balance.