Universities and colleges: teaming up for student success

January 25, 2016

News

Canadian students, communities benefit from partnerships

OTTAWA – A new web resource, launched today by Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada, shows that Canada’s colleges, institutes and universities are increasingly collaborating to offer students a huge range of pathways to their education and career goals.

The joint online resource showcases the myriad ways institutions collaborate to the benefit of students, business and communities. A collection of innovative partnership examples – in student programs, collaborative spaces, and research initiatives – highlights the continued commitment of Canada’s postsecondary institutions to working together to address Canada’s needs for advanced knowledge and skills in all sectors.

This project was developed in the same spirit of collaboration by the national associations representing universities and colleges that signed a historic framework for collaboration agreement in 2014.

“Offering a diversity of education pathways is one of the great strengths of the Canadian postsecondary model”, says Denise Amyot, president of Colleges and Institutes Canada. “By working together, colleges, institutes and universities, can better meet the needs of both students and employers which makes these partnerships incredibly valuable for all Canadians.”

A 2014 OECD report says a high degree of mobility and pathways between postsecondary routes in Canada is one of our country’s strengths.

“Together, Canada’s colleges and universities are building the human capital Canada needs to succeed in the global knowledge economy,” says Paul Davidson, president of Universities Canada. “Through partnerships and collaboration, students have more course and program choices than ever before. They’re increasingly able to customize their education and career paths.”

Students today have access to an increasingly multi-dimensional educational path that includes joint and collaborative academic programs and research projects, block credit transfers, shared campus space and flexible learning plans. More student choice in postsecondary education leads to greater student satisfaction and improved career preparation.

College, institute and university collaboration is a growing trend in Canada. In Ontario, almost 60 per cent of diploma programs have a pathway to a degree. Provincial credit transfer councils in Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Ontario agreed in 2014 to enhance higher education credit transfer and student mobility across their jurisdictions and on a pan-Canadian basis.

Together, Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada represent over 230 postsecondary institutions serving more than three million students.

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About Colleges and Institutes Canada

Colleges and Institutes Canada is the national and international voice of Canada’s publicly supported colleges, institutes and polytechnics. Its members work with industry and social sectors to train 1.5 million learners of all ages and backgrounds at campuses serving over 3,000 urban, rural and remote communities in Canada. The association operates in 29 countries via 12 offices around the world.

Media contact:

Julien Abord-Babin
Senior Strategic Communications Officer
Colleges and Institutes Canada
jabord-babin@collegesinstitutes.ca
Tel. : 613-746-2222 ext. 3131
Twitter : @CollegeCan

About Universities Canada
Universities Canada is the voice of Canada’s universities at home and abroad, advancing higher education, research and innovation for the benefit of all Canadians.

Media contact:

Lisa Wallace
Assistant Director, Communications
Universities Canada
communications@archives.univcan.ca

Tagged:  Global connections and development, Skills and talent