In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Ontario's college system, the province is declaring April 3 to 9 as Colleges Week and is making a new investment in each of Ontario's 24 publicly assisted colleges to enhance the student experience.
The investment — $50 million in total — will support colleges in undertaking major initiatives that enhance student learning, such as the purchase of specialized software for teaching, new lab and shop equipment and technology to modernize existing classrooms and labs, facility retrofits, and other projects.
Of the investment, $2 million will support the Northern Colleges Collaboration, a partnership between Northern Ontario's six public colleges — Boréal, Cambrian, Canadore, Confederation, Northern and Sault — to improve student access to education in the North.
"Today’s funding announcement means that students will continue to access the high-quality, innovative and experiential education they receive from Ontario’s colleges,” said Fred Gibbons, president at Northern College in Timmins and chair of Colleges Ontario, in a release.
“As our economy evolves, this funding allows colleges to stay in front of education trends and ensures Ontarians are trained for the jobs of the next 50 years and beyond."
In 2015-2016, about 84 per cent of Ontario college graduates found work within six months of graduating.
About 220,000 students are enrolled full time at Ontario’s 24 publicly assisted colleges.
