Colleges seek changes of credit-transfer policies

Cambrian College, its sister community colleges, and student groups are urging the provincial government to help more students pursue a blend of college and university education by requiring institutions to be more transparent about recognizing students’ prior credits.

“Now more than ever before, we need to create additional efficiencies within the system to transition students onto further credentials and create logical pathways to career destinations,” said Peter Lawlor, president of Cambrian College, in a news release.

“Measures that recognize prior learning will help students fast-track the completion of degrees and diplomas, making education more affordable and producing a more highly skilled workforce in Ontario and in Canada.”

Cambrian, and the province’s other 23 community colleges and student groups are calling for measures that will require colleges and universities in Ontario to be more open about the completed credits they will recognize when a post-secondary student transfers to their institution. Each institution’s credit-transfer policies should be publicly available and easily accessible.

College presidents representing the sector discussed the proposal in detail with Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Brad Duguid at an Aug. 7 meeting at Queen’s Park.

Improved pathways and greater transparency will give college and university students exploring ways to transfer to another institution a better understanding of how soon they may graduate. This will help students make more informed decisions about their educational goals and allow them to enter the workforce faster, with an enhanced combination of skills, education, and experience.

“More information and resources on credit transfers will reduce the number of courses a student may have to repeat once they have transferred from one institution to another,” said Curtis Bell, president of Cambrian College’s Student Administrative Council and president of the College Student Alliance.

“This change will encourage more students to pursue a mix of both college and university in the future and will enhance their career opportunities in a very competitive job market.”

Lawlor also noted that encouraging more students to pursue additional education will help to address the skills mismatch that is affecting the province’s economy. The mismatch refers to the divide between the skills and credentials held by people looking for work and the qualifications sought by employers.

In a recent report, the Conference Board of Canada said that the skills gap costs Ontario more than $24 billion a year in lost economic activity, which results in a $3.7-billion loss of potential tax revenue annually.

Many students are already recognizing the benefits of combining college and university. Over the past five years, the number of university graduates applying to college has increased more than 40 per cent.

“Post-secondary education in Ontario must place a greater emphasis on making it easier for students to obtain the qualifications that they need to find meaningful work,” said Lawlor.

“We look forward to working with the government to improve the province’s credit-transfer system and the educational experience for Ontario’s 200,000 full-time and 300,000 part-time students.”