Serving Communities

According to recent estimates, ACCC member colleges and institutes represent student populations of 900,000 full-time and 1.5 million part-time learners. With over 900 campuses, Canadian colleges and institutes employ more than 30,000 faculty. Although colleges and institutes vary in size, the average establishment has approximately 5,000 full-time and 15,000 part-time registrants taking part in programs such as health, business, technology, trades, academic upgrading, applied and creative arts, social services, hospitality and university preparation.

Colleges and institutes are rooted within the communities they serve and are generally also the primary community vehicle for adult education and employee updating. This includes employment-related programs such as apprenticeship and continuing education courses, which often maintain varying entry levels and range from the technologies to the creative arts. In addition, a significant number of university graduates attend college upon completion of their degree in order to acquire vocational skills for employment. As a result, the average age of full-time college and institute student is between 26 and 28. Colleges and institutes typically provide a more job-related curriculum than universities, featuring smaller classes, off-campus course delivery, a greater ratio of laboratory space to classroom space, a more interactive teaching style and more inclusive entry criteria.

A unique feature of these institutions is their linkage with business and industry, and hence their integration into economic development. Curricula are derived from industry-based sources. Co-operative and in-industry training programs, in which students study at the college and then work in industry for alternate semesters, are often available. General program operations are reviewed by industry-based advisory committees which usually report to the college's community-based Board of Governors (in most jurisdictions). Provincial/territorial governments give Boards responsibility for ensuring the relevance and quality of college operations.

College and institute budgets vary from $9M to $120M per year. These institutions receive 45% to 80% of their funding from provincial or territorial governments, with the remainder coming from student fees (up to 20 percent), and private and public industry contracts (up to 35 percent).