Beyond Face Value - A Policy Analysis of Employment Equity Programs and Reporting in Ontario Public Colleges

Oct 15, 2026

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Canadian public colleges support students from traditionally under-represented groups, yet rising enrolments are not clearly matched by faculty diversity. This paper reviews employment equity policies of Ontario’s five largest publicly funded colleges, focusing on personnel data collection and recruitment—areas argued to be underdeveloped. Using publicly available information, it identifies gaps and provides recommendations to guide future research and organizational policy priorities within the sector.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Résumé

Background

Is Diversity More Than Employment Equity?

CSSHE SCÉES Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Volume 48, No. 2, 2018, pages 169-185 Beyond Face Value:A Policy Analysis of Employment Equity Programs and Reporting in Ontario Public Colleges Shani Kipang & Daniyal Zuberi University of Toronto Abstract Given their unique pedagogical mandate and structure, Canadian public colleges play a central role in serving groups traditionally under-represented in the post-secondary system. Yet as enrolment from these groups continues to rise, it is unclear to what extent the diversity of student bodies is reflected among faculty. In fact, while issues of faculty diversity and employment equity have gained increasing attention within Canadian universities, they have been largely overlooked within colleges. In an effort to address this gap, we have reviewed the employment equity related policies of Ontario’s five largest publicly funded colleges (otherwise known as Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology, or OCAATs). With a focus on personnel data collection and recruitment—two policy areas we will argue are particularly underdeveloped in the sector—this paper provides recommendations for future research and priorities for organizational policy development. Résumé Les collèges publiques au Canada jouent un rôle important en appuyant les étudiants qui font partie de groupes sous-représentés dans le systeme postsecondaire. Pourtant, au même temps qu’on voit une augmentation des inscriptions parmi ces groupes, cette diversité ne se reflète pas dans le corpsenseignant des collèges publiques. La question dela diversité des professeurs aattiré plus d›attention récemment dans les universités canadiennes, pourtant, cen’est pas le cas dans les collèges. Cet article examine cettelacune en analysant CJHE / RCES Volume 48, No. 2, 2018 Employment Equity in Ontario Colleges / S. Kipang & D. Zuberi 170 les politiques del›équité en matièred›emploi dans les cinq plus grands collèges publics de l›Ontario (Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology, ou OCAATs) . En examinant le recrutement des professeurs et la politique des ressources humaines—deux domaines qui sont sous-développés dans les collèges publiques au Canada—cet article présente des recommandations pour améliorer les politiques organisationnelles dans les collèges canadiens. Given a changing economic climate and new workforce demands, public colleges in Canada play an increasingly important role in the country’s post-secondary system. In addition to affordability, applied professional development, diversity, and flexibility, many colleges have joined universities in a mandate of research and innovation. Given this rapidly changing and unique positioning, the college sector also plays a central role in serving diverse and under-represented groups, particularly racialized, Indigenous, and newcomer students, and students with disabilities (Fujii, 2014; HRSDC, 2008; Tesa, 2013). Yet as enrolment from these groups continues to rise, it is unclear to what extent the diversity of these student bodies is reflected among the faculty of these institutions. In fact, while issues of faculty diversity and employment equity have been given increasing attention within Canadian post-secondary scholarship and in Canadian universities, there has been a lack of attention and research on this topic among public colleges. The goal of this paper is to begin to address this gap and provide preliminary insights to ground future research. Using publicly available data, we present the findings of a review of the employment equity (EE) related policies of five Ontario colleges. With a focus on personnel data collection and recruitment—two policy areas that we argue are particularly underdeveloped in the sector—this paper provides recommendations for future research and priorities for organizational policy development. Background Is Diversity More Than Employment Equity? Some studies on th

FAQs

What gap does the paper address in Ontario colleges?

It addresses the lack of attention to employment equity and faculty diversity within public colleges, despite growing enrolments from under-represented student groups.

Which policy areas are emphasized in the review?

The paper focuses on personnel data collection and recruitment, arguing these areas are particularly underdeveloped in the college sector.

How does the paper use evidence to support its recommendations?

It uses publicly available data to review the employment equity policies of five Ontario colleges and then formulates recommendations for future research and organizational policy development.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet