Enrolment at Ontario's colleges hits record level in 2015

TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2015 /CNW/ - Ontario's colleges have set record enrolment levels this year with a 2.4 per cent increase in full-time enrolment over 2014.

"It is more important than ever for people to get the professional and technical qualifications that help them pursue rewarding careers," said Linda Franklin, the president and CEO of Colleges Ontario. "We continue to see increasing numbers of students pursuing career-specific post-secondary programs at Ontario's colleges."

The final figures show there are more than 237,000 students enrolled in full-time programs at the colleges, up from less than 232,000 in 2014.

First-year enrolment increased 2.7 per cent in 2015, with more than 133,000 students enrolled in first-year programs this year.

The enrolment figures also show increasing numbers of students are continuing to pursue combinations of university and college education. The number of university graduates enrolled in college has increased 50 per cent over the past five years.

Ontario's colleges offer more than 600 programs that prepare people for a wide range of careers, from business, IT, health care and marketing to biotechnology, industrial design and 3D manufacturing.

Franklin said growing numbers of students are choosing college because of the clear demand among employers for people with career-specific qualifications. In polling research that was done earlier this year for Ontario's colleges, more than 60 per cent of respondents said the main purpose of post-secondary education should be to teach specific skills and knowledge that can be used in the workplace.

"Many students are finding the programs that best fit their strengths and career ambitions are offered at colleges," Franklin said. "In this economy, students need to explore the full range of options and find the programs that best suit them."

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SOURCE Colleges Ontario

Amy Dickson, Manager, Media Relations and Communications, Colleges Ontario, 647-258-7686, [email protected]