September 18, 2009
In the second part of a series on unlicensed career colleges, the
Toronto Star reported Friday on the Canadian Security Academy. In a conversation with a CSA recruiter, an undercover
Star reporter is told he is guaranteed a job at the airport after completing training, which consists of a one-day course with an open-book test. The course's instructor tells students the course isn't required to get a job, and no one can work in Ontario as a guard without a provincial license, which is not provided with the course. After receiving his "unimpressive" certificate, the reporter learns that jobs are not guaranteed, and that the 2 security firms CSA claims to have contracts with have no relationship with the school. Meanwhile,
the Ontario Academy of Science and Technology, subject of the first part of the series, announced last Thursday it is not accepting new students.
Toronto Star |
$80 and I'm a security guard |
Students find career college locked following Star exposéIn its throne speech last Thursday, the Nova Scotia government announced it will establish a
graduate tax incentive, providing up to $15,000 to keep university and college graduates in the province. The throne speech also notes that tuition fees at provincial universities will be frozen through the 2010-11 academic year. The province is working with institutions to examine innovative approaches to maximize the benefit from the Nova Scotia Crown Share University Infrastructure Trust Fund.
NS Throne SpeechConestoga College reports a 20% increase in the number of full-time first-year students at the school this year -- almost 3 times the
Ontario average of 7%. The number of full-time students overall at the college is up by 10% to 12%. Conestoga's president says the growth in enrolment is due in part to the approximately 700 students who have returned to college after losing their jobs in the economic downturn.
Waterloo Region RecordLast Wednesday, George Brown College showed off the designs for its
waterfront campus in Toronto. The campus will eventually accommodate 3,500 full-time and 1,000 part-time students, and house the college's dental, nursing, health service management, and health and wellness programs. The college's president says the new campus would also draw the public to its food and retail outlets. George Brown is expected to break ground on the $175-million first phase of the project next month.
Toronto StarWelland city council have supported a motion calling on the mayor and city manager to work with Brock University to explore the development of a new education facility in the Ontario city's downtown core. Brock's dean of applied health sciences says the "mini-campus" could house a firefighter screening program, a cardiac rehabilitation program, and an exercise physiology fitness centre.
Welland Tribune Last Thursday, Georgian College officially opened its
Centre for Sustainable Technologies at its Barrie campus. The $8-million facility is home to numerous college programs, such as new offerings aimed at the construction industry and electrical utilities sector.
Georgian College News In a recent message to the university community, Wilfrid Laurier University president Max Blouw announced the institution's new vision statement: "Inspiring lives of leadership and purpose." This phrase will be the starting point and foundation for telling the university's story, Blouw states. The WLU community is invited to share stories about the university through a new "Laurier Inspires" microsite and Facebook page. The message notes that the institution will be embarking on a visual identity review.
WLU News |
Laurier Inspires |
"What's Your Laurier Story?" Facebook pageThe University of New Brunswick's Saint John campus announced last Wednesday a $1.1-million bequest from the late Violet Woodroofe to set up 5 $40,000 scholarships at the university. Although Woodroffe, who lived to be 106, was not a graduate of UNB, her cousin says she was generally interested in young people furthering their education.
UNB News ReleaseLast Thursday, an Athabasca University professor signed the Cape Town Open Education Declaration, which strives to encourage educators and learners to actively participate in the open education movement. The declaration calls on educators, authors, publication, and institutions to release their resources openly, and states that open education should be a high priority for governments, school boards, and post-secondary institutions. Athabasca U is a founding member of the international Open Education Resource Foundation, which had its official launch on Saturday. The foundation is designed to help education institutions reduce costs through open education materials.
Athabasca U News Release |
Cape Town Open Education DeclarationAccording to a new Kaplan survey of US college admissions officers, 71% reported that they or another admissions officer at their institutions have received a MySpace of Facebook "friend request" from an applicant. 10% of respondents said they have looked at an applicant's social-network profile. 21% of schools reported that they are developing policies on social networking in the admissions process, up from 16% last year. 13% said they already have policies in place, compared to 10% last year.
Kaplan News Release
rtraction