Canadore and Government to discuss future of postsecondary education

Canadore College
News Release

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Canadore College is looking forward to discussing its role in the future of the provincial postsecondary system with government officials later this week.



The current Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Brad Duguid, has requested round table discussions with college and university presidents around differentiated strategic mandate agreements (SMAs), online learning and credit transfer. These discussions follow last June’s call for the province’s 24 colleges and 20 universities to submit SMAs under the previous Minister’s administration.



“This week’s discussions are important to the future of higher education,” said Canadore College President George Burton. “Outcomes will affect how Ontario students’ credentials are recognized internationally, and will impact how easily they can access further meaningful education outside of our provincial borders.”



Burton says that the College consulted broadly with both public and private enterprise before submitting Canadore’s SMA last summer. Responses led Canadore to submit a differentiated mandate that would maintain offering a full-range of learner-focused credentials to train graduates to compete and succeed in a global marketplace.



“Canadore is the college of choice for connecting people, education and employment through leadership and innovation,” said Burton. “These discussions may shape and redefine how the system can meaningfully partner with employers and government to provide a skilled and knowledgeable workforce as required by the 21st century.”



According to Burton, the adoption of differentiated mandates could have the biggest transformation on the system since it was founded over 45 years ago. He hopes to see changes that will provide Canadore and the college system with more distinctly-defined roles and greater flexibility and autonomy to respond to student and industry needs. Of importance is to revise the definition of co-op learning in order to increase experiential learning opportunities and potential for students.



“We see higher education as always putting students first. With this in mind, Canadore is committed to meeting the needs of the creative economy and we remain focused on productivity, innovation and sustainability for the long haul.”

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