Humber McLean's.indd 1 10/19/10 2:52:53 PM

WHY COLLEgEgrads gET JOBs

INFORMATION SUPPLEMENT

CaNada’s COLLEgE sYsTEM Is IN THE MIdsT OF EXCITINg TIMEs, saYs

JaMEs KNIgHT, PrEsIdENT aNd CEO OF THE assOCIaTION OF CaNadIaN

COMMUNITY COLLEgEs. “adVaNCEd sKILLs arE IN VErY HIgH dEMaNd

aCrOss THE COUNTrY. COLLEgEs arE FILLINg FUNdaMENTaL NEEds IN EVErY

sECTOr OF THE ECONOMY – aNd THErE’s grOWINg rECOgNITION OF THE VITaL

rOLE COLLEgEs PLaY IN THE EdUCaTION sYsTEM aNd IN sUPPOrTINg

ECONOMIC grOWTH.”

INFORMATION SUPPLEMENT

One strong sign of the recognition that colleges

are receiving is that the Canadian government

earmarked $600 million in the 2009/10 budget

to refurbish and expand the college system as

part of its Knowledge Infrastructure Program,

says Knight.

“That is the first federal money committed to

college infrastructure in a long time,” he notes.

“In recent years, all of that funding has gone to

the universities.”

Public investment in college education is

money well spent, according to Knight. “It

provides a solid 15.9 per cent annual return to

governments through higher tax revenues and

reduced social costs. College students recover

15.1 percent of their investment annually for

life,” he says.

Colleges also play an important role in pro-

viding applied research and development sup-

port for the business sector, especially for small

and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). They

help businesses start, develop and grow. They

also lead in finding applications for scientific

research and transferring technology to the

marketplace.

Canada’s 150 colleges, institutes, cégeps,

polytechnics, university colleges, and universi-

ties with a college mandate make an enormous

contribution to the success of the economy in

many ways.

With campuses in 1,000 urban, rural and

remote communities, 1.5 million learners and

60,000 educators, these institutions provide

graduates with the skills essential to continued

economic growth and productivity.

Most colleges provide the opportunity for

practical work experience. Programs may

also include a co-op component, which allows

WITH CAMPUSES IN 1,000 URBAN, RURAL AND

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AND 60,000 EDUCATORS, THESE INSTITUTIONS

PROVIDE GRADUATES WITH THE SKILLS ESSENTIAL

TO CONTINUED ECONOMIC GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY.

10MAC14968A.indd 1 10/25/2010 04:08:22 PM

students to work in their chosen fields while at-

tending school, thereby gaining valuable on-the-

job experience and networking opportunities.

This year the college system will graduate

about 190,000 learners, the vast majority of

whom should find employment quickly, says

Knight. “We have extremely high placement

rates: within six months of graduation the place-

ment rate is well above 90 per cent.”

The reason, he says, is that college programs

are closely aligned with the needs of employers,

and operate on the leading edge of skills identifi-

cation, economic trends and market shifts.

“We are in close contact with employers about

adapting to technological change, and we use the

most up-to-date equipment in our programs to

ensure that our graduates hit the ground running

when they enter the workforce.”

Much of the success of the college system

rests with its Program Advisory Committees

(PACs), whereby business and industry provide

input into curriculum development.

“PACs enable us to keep our existing pro-

grams up-to-date and relevant, and to create new

programs that respond to specific workforce

needs, such as new medical imaging technolo-

gies, forensics, cyber-crime, eco-tourism, multi-

media production, coastal zone management, or

environmental geomatics,” says Knight.

“They help us to anticipate technological

change and ensure that we keep pace with it.

PACs are a powerful tool that is unique to the

college experience. And they help to ensure that

our graduates will continue to enjoy success in

their chosen fields.”

MUCH OF THE SUCCESS OF THE COLLEGE SYSTEM

RESTS WITH ITS PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEES (PACs),

WHEREBY BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY PROVIDE INPUT INTO

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT... “A POWERFUL TOOL THAT IS

UNIQUE TO THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE.”

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Bow Valley College grads are work-ready. With certifi cates

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services, BVC offers fast, focused, and fl exible hands-on learning

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10MAC14962A.indd 1 10/25/2010 03:05:07 PM

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INFORMATION SUPPLEMENT

“I’M NOT AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW, AND EVEN IF I MAKE A MISTAKE, I KNOW I’LL LEARN SOMETHING FROM IT.“

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE PREPARES STUDENTS FOR LIFE

10MAC14964A.indd 1 10/25/2010 03:11:50 PM

INFORMATION SUPPLEMENT

At 23, budding Toronto filmmaker Michelle

Berry already has an impressive list of

achievements to her credit.

Berry’s student documentary, Code of Si-

lence, about the unsolved 2006 murder of

Chantal Dunn at Toronto’s Northwood Com-

munity Centre, was shown at last year’s Hot

Docs, North America’s largest documentary

festival. And her short film, Leah, was one

of only 11 chosen from among 500 entries

for inclusion in the Student Film Showcase

2010, part of this year’s Toronto International

Film Festival.

Berry, a recent graduate of the Film &

Television Production Program at Humber

College, is one of 190,000 people who gradu-

ated from Canada’s college system this year,

equipped with the skills to make their dreams

a reality. Berry was so sure that Humber’s

program was right for her that she waited a

year and re-applied after her first application

was unsuccessful. “It really stood out for me

because it covered every aspect of the indus-

try,” she says. “I knew it was what I wanted,

so I stuck with it.”

The decision was a good one. The three-

year advanced diploma program was very

demanding, but Berry says it was well worth

the effort. “It’s a whirlwind—sometimes you

spend all day shooting and then you’re up all

night editing. You learn a lot about commit-

ment, dedication and the value of teamwork.”

She also learned from her instructors, most

of whom are industry professionals. “When I

was doing my first project I was very stressed

and really hated the outcome. One prof told

me, ‘You can’t beat yourself up every time

you make a film. Each one is a learning expe-

rience and will never be perfect, so be true to

yourself, keep working at your craft and don’t

expect perfection.’

“That taught me to follow my instincts and

not to worry about pleasing everyone. My

teacher also said that if I continue like that I

will become paralyzed by perfection. It’s the

best advice I’ve ever received and it will stay

with me the rest of my life.”

BeRRY iS one oF 190,000 peopLe

WHo gRADUATeD FRoM CAnADA’S

CoLLege SYSTeM THiS YeAR,

eQUippeD WiTH THe SKiLLS To

MAKe THeiR DReAMS A ReALiTY.

Canada’s colleges pride themselves on their

graduates’ tremendous success rate in find-

ing employment. But some students find jobs

even before they graduate.

Take Janine Collins. The 23-year-old

was offered her current position as a project

manager with Farrell’s Excavating Ltd. in

St. John’s, Nfld., prior to her 2009 gradua-

tion from the three-year Civil Engineering

Technology program at the College of the

North Atlantic.

“In my final year at college I won

the Newfoundland and Labrador Road

Builders’Association Scholarship for academ-

ic achievement, and after I wrote to thank the

organization, my current employer, who’s a

member, called me for an interview,” she says.

The interview went so well that Col-

lins immediately joined the firm on a part-

time basis.

Her success vindicated her decision to leave

Memorial University, where she had spent a

year-and-a-half studying business. “I wasn’t

enjoying my courses and I wanted something

that was more hands-on and involved being

outdoors. I was interested in engineering but

because I left high school without completing

chemistry and physics, I didn’t think that was

an option.”

Fortunately, Collins’ high school math

marks were excellent, which enabled her to

qualify for the civil engineering technology

program. “It was very challenging, but the in-

structors were great and they created a very

positive atmosphere. I got to know them very

well, and because they all had extensive field

experience, their advice was extremely help-

ful.” Collins also found her fellow students

very supportive. “Everyone worked together

to make sure that we all succeeded, and the

team spirit was tremendous,” she says.

Today, Collins has a variety of responsi-

bilities—everything from looking for new

contracts and surveying prospective job sites

to doing preliminary cost estimates and pre-

paring bids. “I love the variety and appreciate

the fact as an engineering technician my role

is a lot more hands-on than that of an engi-

neer.” And while she is responsible for the pa-

perwork side of project management, Collins

says she spends as much time in the field as

she does at a desk.

“It’s the best of all possible worlds,” she

says. “Whenever I get tired of sitting in the

office, I can put on my hard hat and boots

and go out to the work site to watch the job

in progress.”

Seven years after graduating with an advanced di-

ploma from the Computer Engineering Technology

program at Seneca College of Applied Arts and

Technology, Carlo Di Leo returned the favour by

designing and implementing a new IP-based video

surveillance system for the college.

Di Leo, 31, is the founder and general manager

of Double Vision Group Inc., a Richmond Hill,

Ont. based firm that specializes in digital secu-

rity systems. When Seneca needed to upgrade its

system in 2008, Double Vision beat out 34 other

companies for the contract with its proposal for a

network-based surveillance system.

The three-year college program provided the

foundation for everything he has since achieved,

says Di Leo, who graduated in 2001.

“At the time, Seneca was the only college in Can-

ada that I could locate offering computer engineer-

ing,” he recalls. “Other schools had electrical engi-

neering, but this was a more hands-on program that

involved computer technology and programming.”

It was an exciting time to enter the computer en-

gineering field, and the involvement of instructors

who had extensive real-world experience brought it

to life, he adds.

“We got really involved from a practical perspec-

tive, ripping apart hardware and playing with it on

the programming level.

And everything we learned went into our final

project. My group built a type of MP3 player before

they became commercially available.”

Di Leo credits that experience with preparing him

to work on his own, where there’s no hand-holding:

“Customers tell me what they want and I figure out

how to deliver it.”

After graduation he spent several years in server

and software sales at IBM, before founding Double

Vision in 2004. The company surpassed $2 million

in sales last year and employs more than 10 people.

The firm also hosts a Seneca College Computer En-

gineering Technology co-op student who has been

with them for two years.

The most valuable lesson Di Leo learned at

Seneca was to take things and run with them. “I’m

not afraid to try something new, and even if I make

a mistake, I know I’ll learn something from it.

That’s my mantra and it’s what I try to teach my

employees,” he says.

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“At fi rst I was intimidated because I’d been out of school for 23 years.

I was disappointed with my GPA (grade point average) over the fi rst six

weeks, and I needed help with things like study skills, note-taking and ac-

tive listening. But, thanks to all the support I received from the college and

my family, things have really improved. By the end of the fi rst semester, my

GPA was 3.8 and I got a 4.0 GPA in the second semester – and I’ve made

the dean’s list twice. I’m tutoring other students in fi rst and second level

courses, and I’m booked up well into the future.”

Corson is representative of a trend to an older student population at col-

leges across the country. Some of the change is associated with job losses in

the manufacturing, natural resources and energy sectors, but growing num-

bers of immigrants who need to re-train or to obtain Canadian credentials in

order to fi nd work are a contributing factor.

Since June 2008, more than 5,000 people seeking new careers have en-

quired about enrolling at Algonquin College, says Denyce Diakun, director

of workforce and personal development at Algonquin College.

“About 58 per cent of them are skilled immigrants, while others are laid-

off workers who are looking for career transitioning. The majority of Sec-

ond Career students are in their mid-to-late 40s or older, and about 20 per

cent of them have a university degree or college diploma.”

Whatever their reasons for returning to school, colleges are a logical

place for such people to turn.

“College programs are focused on employment outcomes—that’s our

mantra,” says James Knight, president and CEO of the Association of Ca-

nadian Community Colleges. “Colleges turn students around quickly, pro-

viding them with the skills needed to fi nd jobs in high-demand sectors. And

within six months of graduation, well over 90 per cent of them have found

employment.”

The fi rst step in that process is matching student interests and aptitudes to

labour market needs, says Diakun.

“We look at their strengths and skills and, by tracking labour market sta-

tistics, we try to link them to programs that will lead to jobs,” she explains.

“We also encourage them to consider a job’s earning potential and whether

it’s suffi cient to meet their needs. Some people are in a hurry to get going,

but we encourage them to take the time to fi nd a good fi t rather than rushing

into anything.”

Student success specialists in each department work closely with instruc-

tors to identify and assist students who require extra support, says Diakun.

“We also offer an orientation session for experienced workers that ad-

dresses common concerns such as technology issues, and we hold monthly

gatherings where they can share their experiences.”

SOME OF THE CHANGE IS ASSOCIATED WITH JOB LOSSES IN THE

MANUFACTURING, NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY SECTORS,

BUT GROWING NUMBERS OF IMMIGRANTS WHO NEED TO RE-TRAIN

OR TO OBTAIN CANADIAN CREDENTIALS IN ORDER TO FIND WORK

ARE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. “COLLEGES TURN STUDENTS

AROUND QUICKLY, PROVIDING THEM WITH THE SKILLS NEEDED

TO FIND JOBS IN HIGH-DEMAND SECTORS.” Being downsized once is hard on the ego.

Having to go through it twice is more than

many of us could handle. Fortunately for

David Corson there was great support—

consisting of his wife, Ellan, and Canada’s

college system—to help see him through

the turmoil.

Corson, 46, launched his fi rst career af-

ter graduating from Mohawk College as a

textile management technologist in 1987.

He spent the next 15 years working in

increasingly responsible positions before

the NAFTA accord cut the legs out from

under the domestic textile industry. After

being downsized for the fi rst time in 1992,

Corson moved to the Ottawa area to work

in the paper industry.

“I began as a production team leader

and advanced to improvement specialist

at a plant that made conveyor belts for

paper machines,” he explains. “Then, in

May 2009, the company downsized about

20 per cent of its North American staff in a

single day, because of the collapsing mar-

ket. I was part of that cut.”

Corson is one of the thousands of Ca-

nadians whose manufacturing jobs have

disappeared in recent years. And, like

many of those newly unemployed, he

found himself at middle age in need of a

new career.

The solution for Corson—and many

others—was re-skilling. Through On-

tario’s Second Career program, which

provides laid-off workers with skills

training to help them fi nd jobs in high-

demand occupations, he enrolled in the

two-year computer systems technician

program at Ottawa’s Algonquin College

in January 2010.

The experience, he says, has been amazing.

SECOND CAREER

INFORMATION SUPPLEMENT

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INFORMATION SUPPLEMENT

This is not just a college.

It’s a springboard. It’s a catalyst.

It’s conversations as well as

lectures. Students instead of

numbers. A compass to help

you navigate the great beyond.

It’s not the start, nor the fi nish.

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The efforts are paying off, judging by

the results of an Algonquin study, which

showed that students who received Sec-

ond Career funding earned higher GPAs

than their peers. “They work hard, don’t

waste time, and they’re highly motivat-

ed,” says Diakun.

An internal research project at

Ontario’s Niagara College found there

were many benefits when experienced

workers return to college, says Fiona

Allan, director of Workforce and Busi-

ness Development.

“One of them is the mentoring role

that older students play. They are often

highly motivated and very focused in the

classroom. They bring a more mature per-

spective to discussions because they draw

on real life experiences to illustrate the

theory being discussed in the classroom.”

Seeing experienced workers return to

school has a positive impact on younger

learners, adds Allan. “They help younger

students realize that they can do many

different things with their lives and that

learning is a life-long process.”

The Second Career program benefits

everyone associated with it, agrees Rich-

ard Finch, dean of the School of Com-

munity and Liberal Studies at Sheridan

College Institute of Advanced Technology

and Learning in Oakville, Ontario.

“Experienced workers are commit-

ted to advancing their careers and they

model behaviours that impact younger

students positively,” he says. “It’s a win-

win situation.”

To date, more than 650 students have

enrolled in Sheridan programs via Second

Career, and about 200 have graduated,

says Finch. Many have transitioned from

the auto industry, and most are in the 30-

55-year age range.

One such student is Lee Moreland, a

54-year-old Orangeville, Ont. man who

enrolled at Sheridan after being down-

sized from his management position

where he supervised 30 employees at a

large plastics firm.

“It was a shock,” he says of his Decem-

ber 2008 dismissal. “I didn’t see it coming

and it really hurt.”

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Trained as a lithographer, Moreland decided to

take his career in a completely different direction,

enrolling in a social work diploma program through

Second Career. “In my last job I sometimes had to

fire people, which I hated—it cost me a lot of sleep-

less nights. So I decided to get into a field where I

could help people, instead.”

The college experience was challenging, says

Moreland, who admits that he nearly quit after just

three weeks. “I was completely overwhelmed, but

I’m glad I stuck with it. The instructors were ex-

tremely knowledgeable and supportive. They had

all been social workers for many years and their

teaching, plus my practicum placement, prepared

me for the job market very well.”

Moreland completed the two-year program in

just 17 months and, since graduating with a 4.0

GPA, has found two part-time jobs: one with a

program that supports autistic adults, the other in

a group home for children with fetal alcohol syn-

drome and autism. He also volunteers at the Associ-

ated Youth Services of Peel in its restorative youth

justice program.

“Mature students like Lee bring a tremendous

benefit to the college; they add an important texture

to our student body,” says Finch. “After an initial

period of adjustment, they tend to adapt quickly

because they’re very resilient and committed. And

they bring a wealth of lived experience to their new

situation, which creates a rich learning opportunity

for everyone.

10MAC14967A.indd 1 10/25/2010 03:40:45 PM

INFORMATION SUPPLEMENT

Samantha Arnold knew what she wanted to do when she graduated from Carleton

University in 2007 with an Honours BA in criminology and law. Her dream was

to work with young people in the youth justice area. There was only one problem:

even with a university degree, she lacked the practical skills necessary to get a job

in her chosen fi eld.

“There were no careers open to me and it looked like I would have to go back

and get a master’s degree,” says the Halton Hills woman, now 26.

Instead, Arnold started doing online research and contacting local agen-

cies that employed child and youth workers. “I learned that they really liked

what the graduates of Humber College’s Child and Youth Worker program

had to offer. So I decided to enroll there.”

Arnold is one of a growing number of university graduates who have

turned to Canada’s college system for the training they need to kick-start

their careers. This group represents the fastest-growing category of college

applicants, according to James Knight, president and CEO of the Associa-

tion of Canadian Community Colleges.

“University graduates who have not found work, or who want to pursue a prac-

tical academic program that will lead to a career, are increasingly going to college

for post-graduate diploma programs,” says Knight.

The reasons are quite simple, he says. “The college brand is ‘advanced skills

for employment.’ We have extremely high placement rates.”

Arnold is no exception. After getting her advanced diploma at Humber—

she completed the six-semester program in 16 months with a 91% aver-

age —she quickly found work at Women’s Habitat, a shelter for women

and their children who are escaping violence. She now works full-time as a

Child and Youth Counsellor at Oolagen Youth Mental Health, an adolescent

mental health centre in Toronto.

Arnold attributes her employability to Humber’s combination of small class

sizes, hands-on training, and instruction by industry professionals.

“I received over 1,200 hours of hands-on placement in the fi eld and learned

fi rst-hand how to work with children,” she explains. “All of my professors had

worked in the fi eld and they told us personal stories about how to deal with real-

life situations. We learned common-sense strategies about building rapport with

our clients so that, when we give them advice, they listen to us.”

BEYOND THE B.A. of our grads

recommend us to their peers

97%

Collège universitaire

de Saint-Boniface

École technique et professionnelle

www.cusb.info

“THE TEACHERS WERE ALWAYS

AVAILABLE TO TALK TO US AND

YOU COULD TELL THEY ENJOYED

BEING WITH US. THEY ALSO

MADE ALL THE STUDENTS FEEL

WELCOME AND DID NOT TREAT

ME DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF

THE FACT THAT I WAS QUITE

A BIT OLDER THAN MOST OF

THE OTHER STUDENTS.”

Arnold, who is blind in her right eye and has

only 10 per cent vision in her left, was also im-

pressed by her instructors’ flexibility and sup-

portiveness.

“They really get it,” she says. “I can’t see

the board, so they made sure I had a printed

copy of the discussion materials before class

started, so I could follow along. And they nev-

er made me feel like I was an inconvenience.”

The success of Stephanie Martin’s experi-

ence at Toronto’s Seneca College of Applied

Arts and Technology also owed a lot to the sen-

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THE FUTURE OF LEARNING

sitivity of her instructors. The Sutton, Ont.,

woman, now 48, dropped out of high school

at a young age and tried unsuccessfully to

complete her high school diploma several

years later. In 2001, after getting her general

equivalency diploma (GED), she entered the

Liberal Arts program at Seneca.

“My high school education experiences

were so unsatisfactory that I didn’t have much

faith in the system, but Seneca restored it,”

she says. “The teachers were always available

to talk to us and you could tell they enjoyed

being with us. They also made all the students

feel welcome and did not treat me differently

because of the fact that I was quite a bit older

than most of the other students. They helped

me feel like a valued part of the class.”

Martin’s grades were so good and her self-

confidence so high that after graduation she

entered York University, which has a transfer

agreement with Seneca. That experience pro-

vided an interesting contrast.

“Unlike the classes at Seneca, where there

was lots of discussion, and critical thinking

was encouraged, York’s classes were not as

enriching and the students didn’t share much.

I found that I benefitted from the oral discus-

sions at Seneca, whereas I found the psychol-

ogy program’s structure of lecturing quite

off-putting.”

Nonetheless, Martin graduated from York

after two years with a B.A. in psychology and

went on to teachers’ college. She now teaches

grades 3, 4 and 5 at Waabgon Gamig First Na-

tion School on Georgina Island in Lake Simcoe.

“I tell people that college is a wonderful,

enriching experience, and I encourage them

to find out about it for themselves,” she says.

The combination of a university degree

and a college diploma is increasingly popu-

lar with employers, says Seneca President

David Agnew.

“The traffic goes both ways,” he says.

“We’d be doing our students a disservice if

we acted as rivals. We want good agreements

with universities so that our students get

full credit for the work they do here, and

vice versa.”

According to 2009 statistics, more than 30

per cent of Seneca’s students already have

some form of post-secondary education be-

fore they start their Seneca programs, and

more than 15 per cent of them arrive at Sene-

ca after having specifically attended a univer-

sity or polytechnic institution, says Agnew.

“It’s one of the phenomena driving our en-

rollment growth,” he notes. “University grad-

uates come to college because they want a

practical, career-oriented education that gives

them the best value for their money.”

Canada’s polytechnics and colleges are

the finishing schools for universities, says

Dr. Gordon Nixon, vice-president, academic,

at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technol-

ogy (SAIT).

“Universities give students an educa-

tion, but they don’t always prepare them for

the world of work. We do that. Thirteen per

cent of our current students have university

degrees and 47 per cent have some previ-

ous form of post-secondary education. These

are very sophisticated learners, focused and

motivated. When they graduate with a com-

bination of a university degree and a focused

diploma, they make outstanding employees.”

Those words are music to the ears of Kris-

tine Simpson. A 2009 graduate of Queen’s

University with an Honours B.A. in languag-

es and linguistics, Simpson is now complet-

ing a two-year diploma program in public

relations at Ottawa’s Algonquin College.

“When I graduated from Queen’s, my

writing had improved but I lacked the skills

necessary to get a job,” she says. “If I’d

wanted to be a translator, I would have need-

ed a master’s degree, and that really didn’t

interest me.”

After a friend suggested she’d do well in

the PR field, Simpson decided to investigate

the Algonquin program. One of its selling

features was the co-op option, which she felt

would help to provide the skills she needed to

find employment.

The decision was a good one. Simpson says

the accessibility of her teachers is a welcome

contrast to university. “I get an immediate re-

sponse when I email them and, when I visit

their offices, they’re almost always there.”

She also appreciates the hands-on ap-

proach of her instructors, all of whom have

PR backgrounds. “There’s a big difference

between their knowledge, which is applied,

and the knowledge of my university profes-

sors, which was more theoretical.”

As part of her program, Simpson volun-

teers with the International Association of

Business Communicators, where she has

met potential employers and co-workers and

broadened her circle of contacts. She also

attends Canadian Public Relations Society

events, which provide an opportunity to net-

work with others in the profession.

Simpson, who hopes to work for the fed-

eral government after she graduates next

spring, feels that her college experience is a

complement to her university education.

“I gained more hands-on experience in

one year at Algonquin than in four years at

Queen’s,” she says. “University broadened

my mind, but college is preparing me for the

real world.”

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