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COMMUNITY COLLEGES ARE A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE FOR A POST SECONDARY EDUCATION
I have recently written about enrolling in university or taking a Gap year after graduating high school
This week I want to focus on attending a community college. In my many years of counseling I have
had a sincere appreciation of the roll that our community colleges have played in helping educate our youth . Students and their parents are playing due respect to the colleges to acknowledging them as viable alternatives to attending university
Recently I downloaded a news release from Linda Franklin, who was the President and CEO of the Colleges of Ontario regarding the explosion of applicants applying to attend a Ontario Community College.
"Final calculations have confirmed that enrolments are at it’s highest level. This is a very strong
indicator of the public appetite that exists for the career-focused programs at the colleges."
"It is a different job market and students and their parents now understand the need to be prepared to pursue meaningful careers when they leave school. Enrollment numbers for the first year are 125,000 with more then 220,000 students enrolled in all programs."
The Province of Ontario has finally recognized the needs to address the education/skills mismatch
that is hurting our economy. There is a shortage of skilled people while at the same time there is an abundance of unemployed people looking for employment. In the London and St Thomas area there
are approximately 25% age 25-54 still out of work. Dare to compare that Canada in September 2017 added 10,000 new jobs with the National Unemployment Rate very low at 6.2%.
Community Colleges are known for their very strong relationships with industry/ commerce/health care with local businesses providing co-op placements for their students. The Community Colleges have the flexibility to adapt their programs to the rapid needs of the marketplace to ensure that their graduates have the knowledge and skills to achieve long term success.
Ever increasing numbers of university graduates are looking to the Community College programs. In
the last five years the number of university students has increased to 40% of college enrolments. The University of Western Ontario and it’s affiliates are the largest feeder schools to Fanshawe Community College in London, Ontario.
Many of the 200 programs leading to certification, diplomas and degrees feature Co-op, Clinical Studies and learning opportunities giving our students hands on experiences
We all can be very proud of Fanshawe Community College that has provided wonderful career based programs that lead to meaningful employment for the past 50 years.
I keep on emphasizing the word COMMUNITY because the college represents the aspirations of
London and area students and the community based employers who work in unison to make our community a viable place to learn and work.
There are 21,000 full time student enrolled at Fanshawe. The College attracts international students
from approximately eighty countries from around the world, especially China, Nigeria and Korea.
The success rate for paid related employment after six month of graduation is impressive . Check out
the college web site www.fanshawevca/kpi
Parent/students you have choices for a post secondary education Please take the time to check out the information and make wise decisions. Our most valuable resource are our children. They represent our future.
Len Lesser is an education-career counselor in Dorchester, Ont. www.career-education.ca
Len Lesser