March 12, 2010
Canadians between the ages of 15 and 24 managed to hold on to
employments gains made in January, with the employment rate dipping slightly by 0.1% last month, according to Statistics Canada figures released Friday. Youth in New Brunswick made the most gains with a 1.7% increase in their employment rate, while Alberta recorded the highest youth employment rate, which sits at 62.5%.
Statistics Canada |
Labour Force SurveyCanadian Family Physician, the official journal of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, has received backlash for publishing a "humorous commentary" from a University of Saskatchewan medical student on his discomfort performing Pap smears. "Congratulations on publishing the most offensive, insensitive article ever," wrote one woman to the journal. In response to his article, the student regrets the offence it caused, wishing he had addressed the issue in a more serious manner. uSask's medical college dean says the student should not have to continually defend the article's publication, and that the journal should take its share of responsibility for the ordeal.
National Post The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum announced last Thursday the publication of the first issue of the
Canadian Apprenticeship Journal. The publication will offer readers the opportunity to become engaged in discussions on current and topical issues in apprenticeship and certification at a national level. The journal's inaugural issue focuses on return on training investment.
Canadian Apprenticeship Forum News Release |
Canadian Apprenticeship JournalWilfrid Laurier University's senate has approved a new academic plan to guide the institution's academic planning over the next 5 years. The plan merges the 2005 Century Plan with the values, vision, and mission statements developed through the 2008-09 Envisioning Laurier process, and identifies 9 core principles and 6 academic domains that make WLU unique. The plan emphasizes the university's tradition of teaching excellence, sense of community, and student experience, along with the school's growing research intensity and graduate programs.
WLU News |
WLU Academic Plan 2010-2015The federal and Quebec governments announced last Thursday over $3.84 million from the Knowledge Infrastructure Program towards a new training centre for wind turbine maintenance at Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles. The money will support the centre's construction and allow it to purchase training equipment. The CÉGEP is the only institution in the province that offers a program in wind turbine maintenance.
Quebec News Release (in French) |
Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles News Release (in French)
This September, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology will offer a new Nanotechnology Systems diploma, the first of its kind in Canada. The 2-year program will provide graduates will the skills to operate systems and equipment associated with the nation's emerging nanotechnology industry. In 2007, the Alberta government launched a
nanotechnology strategy aimed at capturing a $20-billion share of the global nanotechnology market by 2020. The province now boasts a growing nanotech enterprise sector of over 40 companies, with many located in the Edmonton area.
NAIT News ReleaseMount Saint Vincent University is introducing this fall a 4-year undergraduate degree in Science Communication, the first of its kind in Canada. The program capitalizes on MSVU's strengths in the areas of communication studies and science to fill a gap in the country's need for well-qualified science communicators who can work with government departments, university researchers, and media outlets.
MSVU News ReleaseMcMaster University librarians have formed an association and decided to unionize. Last month, the McMaster University Academic Librarians Association filed an application for certificate with the Ontario Labour Relations Board, which supervised a secret-ballot election where a majority of votes were cast in favour of unionization. The association represents a 30-member group.
CAUT Bulletin While capping enrolments and cutting costs is budgetarily responsible and has a strong prospect of maintaining quality in the face of cutbacks, it has the painful consequence of reducing higher-education access as well as cutting staff, writes Arthur M. Hauptman in last Tuesday's
Inside Higher Ed. Before engaging in this strategy, Hauptman argues, public higher education officials should consider all revenue enhancement possibilities, particularly increasing enrolment while maintaining current tuition levels. Hauptman writes that this strategy makes a great deal of economic sense if current tuition levels are greater than the marginal costs associated with enrolling more students.
Inside Higher EdThe immense pressure on students to pass a 2-day national exam on which scores are the sole basis for university entrance has prompted China's education ministry to revise its university admissions system. The director of the ministry's policy and regulation department says planned gradual reforms should ease the stress as test results join student interviews and evaluation of a student's high school performance as part of overall university admissions criteria. China's premier recently announced that investment in education is one of the government's top priorities this year. A draft budget report calls for education spending to increase by 9% to $32 billion US in 2010.
Associated Press
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