Ontario Colleges Could Have New 3 Year Programs & Here’s What You Need To Know
These programs are expected to open by 2023.
If you're going to be graduating high school soon and have no clue what you want to do next, well, Ontario's colleges will be offering even more programs and they're hoping to accept applications for 2023.
On Monday, April 11, the Ontario government announced that public colleges throughout the province can now start creating brand new three-year degree programs as well as more four-year degree programs to bridge the labour gap.
So, what will these programs be?
The three-year applied degree programs will lead to careers in health care, digital, data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and process automation sectors.
The Ford government is also looking to open up more programs to give auto workers the skills to build electric cars and work on Ontario's transit, road and infrastructure needs.
"We intend to offer labour market-focused, three-year degrees that will meet industry need for employees with the optimal mix of technical and advanced skills. It's an essential combination for continued success in today's highly competitive global marketplace," CEO of Centennial College, Dr. Craig Stephenson said.
The expanded programs are also set to provide more learning opportunities for students in rural areas and smaller communities.
On top of this, Ontario's colleges will be able to create new three-year degree programs in career-oriented areas that are unique from what students could get a university.
"Our government is taking action to ensure young people are graduating with the skills they need to earn bigger paycheque that are waiting or them," Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton said.
"This is how we build back a stronger province and bring good jobs for every corner of Ontario."
These publicly-funded colleges will also be able to bring on even more degreed programs at their schools, with cap limits jumping to 20% for Institutes of Technology and Advanced Learning and 10% for all other colleges.
Before this, colleges like George Brown, Humber, Seneca, Conestoga, and Sheridan could only have 15% of their programs served to four-year degrees.
