The long-term economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening inequality in Canada and is a growing concern for citizens and policy-makers. This manifestation of inequality has been referred to as the ‘K-shaped economic recovery,’ a term which describes the bifurcated outcomes that are largely positive for highly educated and high-income earners, and largely negative for lower-income workers with fewer educational credentials. There […]
The term work-integrated learning (WIL) refers to a range of experiences including apprenticeships, field placements, co-op programs and internships. Some WIL experiences may be a required part of an academic program while others may be a transitional experience either from academic life to the workforce or from one level of schooling to another. Thanks to […]
In September 2020, HEQCO released a report aimed at improving the accessibility of remote learning in higher education. At that point, we were six months into the COVID-19 pandemic in North America and dealing with the onset of a new academic year. Among the lessons we learned from postsecondary students, faculty and staff, as well […]
The microcredential landscape is evolving quickly. Since HEQCO began researching the topic in early 2020, the Ontario government has dedicated close to $60 million for a micro-credential strategy that includes new programs, an online portal and a public awareness campaign. In March, the government announced that it was expanding eligibility for Ontario student loans and […]
There has been much discussion of how the abrupt shift to online learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected postsecondary course delivery and exam administration, but perhaps less discussed is how this shift affects the informal but important ways in which students exchange knowledge. Student-to-student connection allows incoming postsecondary students to acquire knowledge […]
International Women’s Day is a good time to once again take stock of gender inequality in earnings. This is unfortunately not a new issue. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Canadian women continue to earn less than men. In 2019, women earned, on average, 18% less than men. The wage gap […]
Data is important, both as a tool of research and as a tool of policy that can affect funding, government priorities and program development. In Ontario, as in other jurisdictions, there are major gaps in data collection for certain groups. We need to expand the pool of available data, but we must also pay careful […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on people all over the world and Ontario is no exception. While some were able to shift to working from home, many people lost their jobs; the province’s unemployment rate more than doubled from 5.5% in February to 13.6% in May. As we continue to navigate life […]
Micro mania — that’s what we called the mix of excitement and uncertainty brewing around microcredentials in Ontario last Spring. Since then, HEQCO partnered with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) to help address some of the uncertainty surrounding microcredentials. We’re building an evidence base that anyone from the college, university or government sectors can draw from […]