Why we need to double our graduation numbers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/10/2016 (3614 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One thousand, one hundred and sixty — that’s the number of graduates from Assiniboine Community College last year. That’s up from 954 in 2013.

The public reporting focus for colleges and universities is often on the other end of the equation: enrolment. In fact, I get asked about our enrolment almost every day by some, but rare that someone asks about how many people actually graduate from the college.

A few years back, our board of governors adopted an approach that put an increased emphasis on the college’s results rather than on our activities. In 2013, they also approved a new strategic direction for the organization.

That plan asserted that the college needed to double that number of graduates by 2025. This plan was informed by the overall situation in Manitoba. It recognized that skills and people shortages that we are experiencing in the Manitoba economy.

Simply put, Manitoba needs more people. And more people with the skills and qualifications our labour market needs if we are to continue to grow our economy and sustain our quality of life.

ACC set out a multi-pronged plan to help achieve this growth in graduates. I’m further proud to add that most of the efforts did not seek any additional funds from government.

While there will be resources required to support new program growth to meet the needs of the labour market, most of what we have achieved since 2013 and continue to work toward by 2025 does not look to the province for new core funding.

Our faculty and staff have done an amazing job at facilitating this growth. Their efforts have included increased time recruiting and working within schools, counsellors and agencies to make sure people are aware of the opportunities at the college. It includes improving our processes to make sure we can make maximum use of our classrooms and laboratories to accommodate increased programs and students. It means some faculty have been welcoming more students into their programs while maintaining a hands-on approach to education that is consistent our theme of “learn by doing.”

Certainly one of the areas of growth has been international students. We anticipate welcoming more than 250 international students in 2016-17. That’s up from just 60 in 2013-14. This year, we have students from 17 countries across five continents.

While some of these students are looking for a Canadian education to put to work in their home countries, most are looking to make Canada home. The Canadian post-secondary system has become an important gateway for potential newcomers and increasingly important to integration efforts.

Last year, Canada had its highest level of immigration since 1971 and in Manitoba, immigration continues to be the driving factor of population growth.

The 1,160 grads are also what defines our success. Within nine months of graduation, 94 per cent of our graduates get jobs, 87 per cent related to their field of study, and 90 per cent decide to live and work right here in Manitoba. They build our economy and lead our communities. They not only make Manitoba a great place to live, work and raise a family, but to invest and start a business.

This week, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) released the national economic impact of colleges and institutes. Economic Modelling Specialists Inc. estimated the annual impact of colleges and institutes across Canada at $191.2 billion. For ACC, that impact is estimated to be $613 million annually. This is largely driven by the success of our graduates.

Growing from 954 to 1,160 over the past few years has further increased the impact that ACC is having. Hopefully, we can continue the momentum as planned through 2025.

» Mark Frison is president of Assiniboine Community College.