College enrolment is up and there’s a reason why!
Posted on Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014
Anyone thinking about post-secondary studies has grappled with the question: college or university – what’s the right choice?
Enrolment has jumped this year at Ontario colleges and the reason is most likely linked to the soft job market. This emergence was highlighted in a recent Toronto Star article.
“Since we’ve been able to track this — starting in the early 1980s — anytime there is a significant downturn in the economy, college enrolment goes up,” said Linda Franklin, president of Colleges Ontario.
Enrolment is up over 5% this year, which is the highest it’s been. Not only are students applying to college, they are applying to programs that they know will get them gainful employment. Of the top five college programs, identified by Kristin Rushowy in her Toronto Star article, four are offered at our Waterfront Campus!
- Business – Occupations in this category are found across every industry and often provide the backbone of success for any type of business or organization. They account for approximately 14% of the employed labour force in Renfrew & Lanark Counties and are consistently in demand.
- Practical Nursing – The Health Care and Wellness sector is one of the fastest growing in Renfrew and Lanark Counties. With the average age of the local population being 43.9 and increasing steadily, demand on the health care system is constant.
- Culinary – It is important to understand the local labour market and a report prepared by the Labour Market Group of Renfrew & Lanark shows that the market is stable for people educated in the area of Hospitality.
- Social Service Worker – Community Social Services profiles high priority occupations that provide essential services to the community through the education and public service sectors.
So why are prospective students going back to school and more specifically, why are they choosing college over university? The answer is not surprising to us. Students understand that they need specific skills training in order to gain employment and colleges offer such training.
Colleges provide:
- Hands-on programming
- Co-ops, placements, work terms, etc.
- Smaller class sizes and better student to professor ratio
If you are considering going back to school, it’s important to understand that it is not too late. Start your application process today!
Posted by: Jodi Bucholtz
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