Colleges and Institutes Call for
National Workforce Development Agenda

Ottawa, February 22, 2006 -  The Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) today called for a national workforce development strategy with an accelerated timeline for implementation.

Skills gaps are occurring now; the need for new knowledge applications in the workplace are occurring now; immigrants need their skills recognized now; and all Canadians need to have improved access to post-secondary education, training and skills upgrading now.

In the post-secondary education sector, college graduates are getting jobs and enrollment is up, but to ensure that skills and education can and will keep up with a rapidly changing workplace, investment must keep pace with expected returns.

A National Summit on Post-Secondary Education and Skills will be held this week in Ottawa to build a national, cohesive and action-oriented strategy for the skills development of all Canadians.

As a key stakeholder in Canada's post-secondary education sector, colleges and institutes support the premiers in their decision to hold such a unique summit, and call for:

• A separate post-secondary education transfer fund and restored funding to the level of 1992/1993, adjusting for inflation and demographic growth.

• Creation of an Infrastructure Enhancement Fund for modernization and acquisition of equipment and deferred maintenance requirements.

• Creation of a Research Development and Commercialization Support Fund dedicated for colleges and institutes and their partners.

• Significant action to increase student financial aid and the grant-to-loan ratio.

ACCC is the national and international voice of Canada’s public sector post-secondary colleges, institutes of technology, cégeps and university-colleges. For more information on the role of the Association, and its 150 member institutions, visit www.accc.ca.

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Contact:

Gerry Brown
President
Association of Canadian Community Colleges
Tel.: (613) 746-2222

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