Fleming College

Ontario’s 24 colleges have commissioned the most comprehensive research study ever conducted into the attitudes of high school students who won’t be pursuing any postsecondary education after high school.“This study will help us better understand why young people may be opting out of postsecondary education and not fulfilling their potential,” said Dr. Tony Tilly, President of Fleming College. “At a time when 70 per cent of all new jobs require a college or university credential, one-third of Ontarians between the ages of 25 and 34 have only a high school diploma or less. The study will help Ontario determine what to do to meet this challenge.”This first of its kind study, commissioned by Colleges Ontario, is being conducted by Alan King and Wendy Warren of Queen’s University’s Social Program Evaluation Group (SPEG). The initial phase of the $250,000 study is scheduled to be completed next fall. The study will examine why secondary school students do not proceed to postsecondary education and will consider a broad range of variables including demographic considerations, education and geography. The study will include interviews with respondents to obtain information which will help clarify, elaborate on, and gain insight on issues arising from previous studies and the statistical analyses. Colleges Ontario will use the results to develop proposals to increase postsecondary attainment rates in the province. It is essential that greater numbers of people attain postsecondary education and training, said Dr. Tilly. Currently, there is a need to provide more training and retraining to people who have lost their jobs in the changing economy, particularly in sectors such as manufacturing and forestry. It will also be essential that every person has the education and training to make a meaningful contribution in the workplace as the province is on the verge of a major skills shortage, said Dr. Tilly. If current trends continue, Ontario will have a shortage of 360,000 skilled employees by 2025, affecting much of the province’s economy.Colleges Ontario’s funding partners for the study include the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.“This research will help us develop strategies to produce more highly skilled workers and create opportunities for every Ontarian to succeed,” Dr. Tilly said. “Increasing postsecondary education participation rates is also vital to Ontario’s economic success.”King and Warren are leading experts in Ontario on issues involving high school students and their perceptions of postsecondary education. Their past work has included an extensive study of the double cohort in Ontario following the restructuring of the province’s secondary school curriculum.Colleges Ontario is the voice of Ontario’s 24 colleges of applied arts and technology. Ontario colleges serve about 200 communities throughout the province, delivering a wide range of career-focused education and training programs to more than 200,000 full-time and 250,000 part-time students.