October 2020 - Modernize colleges to help fuel economic recovery - A submission to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities in response to the modernization consultation process

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

October 2020 submission advocating modernization of Ontario’s 24 colleges to strengthen higher education and support economic recovery after COVID-19. It cites challenges such as technological overhaul and uneven unemployment, urging a more autonomous college system with internationally valued programs and credentials. The submission highlights micro-credentials as a scalable upskilling pathway, emphasizing trackable and stackable credentials, flexible funding models, revised instructional-hour definitions, and robust prior learning assessment to award credits and reduce time and cost for learners and institutions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

October 2020

Modernization rationale for Ontario higher education

Micro-credentials: purpose and learner pathways

Recommendation: funding approach for micro-credentials

Redefining instructional hours and tuition/credit weights

Prior learning assessment and recognition

October 2020 Modernize colleges to help fuel economic recovery: A submission to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities in response to the modernization consultation process Ontario’s 24 colleges will play a pivotal role in establishing Ontario as a global leader in higher education--producing a workforce with the qualifications and expertise to help drive economic recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdown. In its recently released white paper, The Future of Ontario’s Workers, the StrategyCorp Institute of Public Policy and Economy says Ontario faces challenges today that are as great as the challenges that followed the Second World War.“Ontario faces a similar dilemma – technological overhaul, unprecedented and unevenly distributed unemployment as a result of COVID-19, and a labour market that demands new skills over those of the generation prior at an exponential rate.” As the government works to restore Ontario’s place as an economic powerhouse, the StrategyCorp paper says the college system must be modernized with greater autonomy and a full suite of internationally valued programs and credentials to provide the strongest possible workforce in a new age of accelerating automation. Ontario’s college presidents have recommended the following to Minister Ross Romano’s consultationson modernizing higher education. 1. Micro-credentials Providing skills training through micro credentials is a great area where Ontario can help people upgrade their skills mid-career or as they transition to new careers. They will provide people with more opportunities to build new skills over time. This is particularly important as Ontario works to restore its place as an economic powerhouse. The economic hardship created by the COVID-19 pandemic will force greater numbers of people to seek retraining for new careers. It’s expected many will prefer short-term programs to the time commitments involved in a full degree or diploma program. For example, in the U.S., it was reported over 60 per cent of workers would prefer non-degree training. It is likely that short-term retraining opportunities will appeal to a significant number of unemployed and underemployed people. This will also support employers who need to provide quick retraining opportunities to their employees and will acknowledge that “learn while you earn” will become a more prevalent pattern for individuals. However, many learners will need to attain higher levels of post-secondary credentials over their lifetime. While the short-term programs will help them re-enter the job market, the credentials must be“trackable” and “stackable” so they can advance to further diploma and degree programs as their career ambitions grow. This is particularly important for unemployed and underemployed people who entered the job market directly from high school and will be competing with post-secondary graduates when they seek to advance in their careers. As well, many post-secondary graduates seeking retraining may desire to pursue further studies in a rapidly evolving labour market. A transformed higher education system must be as seamless and cost-efficient as possible.“Stackable”credentials will help ensure students don’t have to repeat their learning at unnecessary cost to the students and the province. Recommendation: Funding approach for micro-credentials Over the years, other form of short-term training have faltered or not reached their potential to enhance the skills of our workforce because they were too costly for institutions to offer. If microcredentials are to succeed and reach their potential to significantly improve access to upgrading and skills training, then they must also deliver value to the institutions providing them. Thus, it is critical from the outset that the government gets the funding model right for micro-credentials. The recommended option is to create a new hybrid funding model for micro-credentials based on a small number

FAQs

Why does the submission call for modernizing Ontario colleges?

It argues Ontario needs modernization to address post-COVID economic recovery, technological overhaul, and a labour market requiring new skills, while strengthening the province’s role in higher education and workforce development.

What is the submission’s rationale for micro-credentials?

Micro-credentials are presented as short-term skills training that help people upgrade mid-career, transition to new careers, and re-enter the job market quickly, especially amid pandemic-driven retraining needs.

How should micro-credentials be funded and assessed according to the recommendations?

The submission recommends a new hybrid funding model tied to program funding categories, minimum funded credit weight or learner hours, revised instructional hours recognizing modern delivery, and robust prior learning assessment and recognition to award credits toward traditional credentials.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob