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Sarah Watts-Rynard – Building the next generation of tradespeople

Voices from HEQCO’s November 2014 conference Hands On: Exploring Apprenticeship and the Skilled Trades   Guest blogger: Sarah Watts-Rynard Despite some debate about whether or not Canada is experiencing a skills shortage – economists say no, employers say yes – the reality is that a generation of expert tradespeople is moving toward retirement age.  Their […]

Employed Adult Learners in Ontario and Canada: Engaged and Disengaged

Research Summary: For employed adults, learning activities don’t (and shouldn’t) end at graduation The individual and social benefits of lifelong learning are well established and numerous government programs are in place to encourage adult participation in continued learning. But a new study from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) and Employment and Social […]

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Martin Hicks – The alchemist’s dream

Just tell me, please, where the jobs of the future will be.  Then those working in higher education can plan accordingly, adjust the credential and programming mix, and drive students into the right programs.  Actually students won’t need driving, because they will surely make superior choices and not continue to stumble into the humanities or […]

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Online Program to Help Co-op Students Enhance their Employability Skills

Employability skills enhanced in University of Waterloo professional development courses Co-op students at the University of Waterloo who take online professional development courses to enhance their employability skills are generally positive about the value and relevance of the courses, according to a new study from the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQCO). And based on employer […]

Understanding the Determinants of Academic Success in Apprenticeship Programs at Mohawk College

Research Summary: ​Mohawk College study explores apprenticeship pathways and outcomes A new HEQCO study explores apprenticeship pathways at Mohawk College, which offers the largest variety of apprenticeship programs in Ontario. The study,  Understanding the Determinants of Academic Success in Apprenticeship Programs at Mohawk College , finds that regardless of the type of apprenticeship program, apprentices take five […]

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Guest blog – Definition Dilemmas: What is Student Success?

“Value” as in dollars and cents? Or “value” as related to merit and importance? Evaluating the value of a postsecondary degree is creating a lot of buzz in higher education circles. There is much debate about postsecondary graduation rates, workplace skills and employment as key performance measures of student success in postsecondary education. From the […]

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On Our Radar – Lessons for higher education from the entrepreneurial fast lane

Imagine you were given 54 hours to transform a basic idea into a startup company. You’re one of a sea of 100 individuals, most of whom you have never met before. They include software developers, educators, graphic designers, business developers, and even a handful of high school students. You have access to a few basic […]

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Joe Henry – A smarter way to educate students about the future

There has been a myriad of discussions in the media recently around the issue of skills training and development. Without a doubt, there are improvements that need to be made in the system to better link graduates with the available jobs. Among them are better career development information for secondary school students, changing the dominant […]

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Martin Hicks – Humanities matter here and down by the river

Recently, at the annual conference of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, Gwyn Morgan, retired CEO of energy giant EnCana, gave the opening keynote address, where he extolled the contributions colleges make to the economy and to the career success of many Canadians. He was right to do so.  Canada has a strong and successful […]