Another deadline is fast approaching for Algonquin College applicants. On May 1st applicants will need to decide if they will choose to accept their offer of admission for the Fall term which begins in September.
So why wouldn’t an applicant move forward with their plans to attend college? There’s a lot to unpack when answering that question, so let’s turn it around and focus on why most applicants do follow through on one of the most important decisions of their life. The primary answer is because they want a career and attending post-secondary education is the first step in earning a credential that opens doors.
Those doors are expected to open widely in many sectors as the world emerges from a prolonged shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Take the hospitality and tourism industries, two sectors that have been particularly hard hit because of the forced closure of restaurants, ski hills and other tourism attractions for extended periods of time.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As a mass vaccination program rolls across the country, albeit not soon enough for most Canadians, there are predictions from several economists of a robust economic recovery in many sectors. Canadians have been saving money and with borders closed and many of their favourite destinations off limits, that pent up energy and spending power bodes well for the economy.
A student enrolling in the Outdoor Adventure program this fall will graduate in the spring of 2023. Hopefully by that time, adventure tourism will again be thriving and the demand for graduates of the program will have returned to pre-pandemic levels. The Ontario government is banking on it, already announcing millions of dollars in investments to keep small businesses and tourism outlets operating until people are free to move around again.
Enrolments for post-secondary training have remained strong through the pandemic. College students have not put their plans on hold. They have adapted well to the change in the way their courses have been delivered, whether that has meant virtual classrooms and labs, or in person activities where physical distancing can be achieved and mask wearing is required, unless you’re hanging out in a tree. That’s been the case for Urban Forestry-Arboriculture students who have honed their skills as tree climbers with regular field trips, despite the pandemic.
In some programs, students have experienced being on the front line of the pandemic. Nursing and Personal Support Worker students have been in high demand and have voluntarily supported the most vulnerable patients in long-term care centres, while also assisting with vaccination clinics. With an aging population and the pandemic exposing the strain that the health care sector has been under, health care jobs will continue to be plentiful.
So while some students will opt not to confirm their offer of admission, most will follow through with their original intentions when they applied to college. It will be a wise choice, because the need for highly skilled workers has become even more important as we adjust to whatever changes are in store for us in a post-pandemic world.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs)
Some students have plans to study in a specific vocational program, but because the program doesn’t start until the fall they enroll in the 
It started with the Pembroke Campus receiving an Excellence in Education Award from the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce. Through a public voting exercise, the Campus was acknowledged for the impact it has on the community through the provision of providing access to post-secondary education and training. It was the second year in a row that the College had won the award, but it was only an appetizer for what was to come in a very special week.
