Concerns about a looming skills shortage as the baby boom generation retires have led to calls for more post-secondary education in BC. Invariably, the prescription put forward has been to increase “seats” in post-secondary institutions. Seats are a convenient way to convert operating funding to an average capacity for learners, so the prescription is simply more taxpayer funding.

While the BCAIU shares concerns about skills shortages and agrees that more post-secondary education is needed, there is more to the issue than simply increasing operating funding to increase capacity. Rather, BCAIU is proposing that the focus be on increasing post-secondary participation as the ultimate objective.

There are several barriers to increased participation that must be addressed, not just institutional capacity. Addressing these barriers will lead to a more efficient and effective system that will be better able to translate taxpayer-funded capacity increases into increased participation. Not only will that help address skill shortages, increased participation will lead to a more educated population which will enhance economic performance and develop the resilient, engaged citizens we need to address and prevent social issues so often rooted in poverty and health issues.

What drives participation beyond taxpayer operating funding? There are three areas that are important: the quantity and quality of education provided by institutions, the demand for education by existing and potential learners and the skills needed by employers.

In terms of the supply of education by institutions, operating funding is only part of revenue generated by post-secondary institutions and only part of the question of capacity. Tuition, revenue from the sale of goods and services and donations are all important revenue sources that are limited in ways that negatively affect participation. Funding for both academic and trades programs are unfair in the way they are allocated, also affecting participation.

In terms of learner demand, there is not enough recognition in the way the system is managed of what the students want to learn. Institutions must have some capacity to respond to that demand. Learner demand is also affected by affordability, linking back to tuition but also to student financial aid. It is also linked to quality of teaching and of education. The highest quality undergraduate teaching and education requires a certain level of research activity, currently discouraged outside research-intensive universities. More research that is partnered with industry, governments and not-for-profits, community engaged and applied in nature at teaching-intensive universities and institutes would substantially increase teaching quality.

The third dimension, in the middle between institutions and learners, relates to the requirements of employers, whether private or public sector, for skilled employees. Close connections between those employers and institutions are needed to enable institutions to adapt to changing needs and to give potential and existing students the information they need to seek the skills they will require to succeed. That is crucial to increase participation in terms of both student demand and institutional supply of education. Barriers to increasing research inhibit these important connections.

There is no need for fundamental reform. The BC post-secondary education system is the envy of many, with broad geographical distribution to enable most learners to at least get a good start without going far from home and with strong integration that provides learners with flexibility to choose the educational path that works for them. Incremental changes that address some of the specific barriers to increased participation would make the system more efficient and effective.

BCAIU is proposing:

1. Tuition regulation. Tuition should be regulated but the current approach is unfair to institutions and students, and makes it difficult for institutions to respond to unmet student demand for specific programs. The proposal is for program bands grouping like programs, each with a maximum tuition level that increases with the CPI. High demand programs would have higher maximum tuition that increases at a higher rate.
2. Student financial assistance. An incremental change to enhance an already effective program would enhance incentives to complete programs with a completion bonus that offsets student loan debt upon program completion.
3. PACE research. BCAIU members are all engaged in Partnered, Applied and Community Engaged (PACE) research to some degree and some, such as BCIT and ECUA+D to a significant degree. Incremental easing of labour relations and financial management restrictions would encourage increased PACE research, increasing participation while maintaining the teaching intensive nature of the institutions and avoiding any increase in basic research. Financial management changes will also generally allow the institutions to increase efficiency.
4. Operating funding. Incremental funding should be directed to academic and trades training programs with unmet student demand and significant labour market demand in a way that is sustainable for the institutions. That would automatically increase participation in programs that will lead to jobs where skills are needed.

Apprentice program funding. There is a significant mismatch between unit funding levels and unit costs for trades training programs, leading to an unfair allocation of funding and important programs being underfunded. BCAIU is proposing that funding be immediately aligned with costs as measured last year. A commitment to regularly assess the cost of programs and ensure funding is aligned with costs, together with tuition regulation changes proposed above would improve the supply of trades training programs and participation.

The next step would be to build upon the recent one-time equipment funding initiative with a 10 year plan to eliminate the equipment deficit and a commitment to ongoing refreshment of the equipment stock.

For further information, please contact:

Ruth Wittenberg, President, BCAIU

(250) 940.1142 or ruth.wittenberg@ufv.ca

A long-time provider of interior design education, the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) has added a Bachelor of Interior Design to its well-respected certificate and diploma offerings.

The program provides graduates a direct path to becoming a Registered Interior Designer. This is an important step, because in 2015 the Interior Designers Institute of BC (IDIBC), along with all other self-regulatory provincial design associations across Canada, will require a bachelor degree in interior design as the minimum requisite education for those wishing to pursue registration in interior design.

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The full-time research-oriented degree, offered through the Faculty of Graduate Studies, will begin in September of 2013. Building on Emily Carr’s successful Bachelor of Design degree, it will expand upon curricular values and goals in areas of collaboration, sustainability interdisciplinary, technological intervention, new research methods/approaches to design, and creating creative work within cultural frames of reference.  Read more…..

A large crowd has shown up to view a diverse and impressive array of paintings, objects, clothing, and artifacts, all created by first-year students. At times, it’s difficult to see certain pieces because of the number of people, including students’ parents and family members, jammed into the main floor of Emily Carr University’s North Building.

The annual Foundation Show is a microcosm of the renowned art school, which has outgrown its space on the edge of Granville Island. The exhibit and the school are bursting with young creative talent cramped into a small area.

Near the entrance of the gallery hovers a large bird created entirely from plastic forks. Jason King’s “Phoenix” provokes thoughts and feelings about the ecological consequences of living in a disposable society.

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At the end of the day-long competition, 14 BCIT students emerged with medals after outstanding performances in a variety of categories.

BCIT students dominated in several categories, taking gold, silver, and bronze medals in the CNC Machining and Precision Machining divisions; gold and bronze in IT-Network Systems Administration and Automation and Control; and top spot in the Aircraft Maintenance, Cabinetmaking, Electrical Wiring, and Industrial Maintenance categories.  Read more…..

The Vancouver Island University Mariners received two more honours this weekend as they were named team of the year by Basketball B.C. and Matt Kuzminski received a coaching excellence award.

The Mariners surprised many by winning the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championship as a Pacific Western Athletic Association wild card team in Montreal in March. Star guard Brandon Jones carried the team during their post-season run, earning most valuable player honours at both the provincial and national championships. For his efforts he was a finalist for the Basketball B.C. player of the year award, but was edged out by Langara Falcon Brody Grigg.

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Competing in a six-hour garden building event which involved working from a prescribed landscape plan, two Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) Horticulture students took gold in the provincial Skills Canada—Skills BC—competition, held April 17 in Abbotsford.

As part of the challenge, fourth-year student Kevin O’Connor, enrolled in KPU’s Landscape Apprenticeship Program, and first-year student Jason Thompson, enrolled in KPU’s Turf Management Diploma Program, installed paving stones, basalt stone walls, a water feature, a flag stone pathway and an extensive planting system. Throughout the competition, the students were judged on teamwork, safe work practices, communications skills, adherence to industry practices, attention to detail and the final result.

“I was very impressed with the way in which Kevin and Jason represented Kwantlen,” said Rob Welsh, KPU School of Horticultural Instructional Associate and Skills Competition Coach and Sponsor. “Both students worked extremely well as a team and their success is being awarded the well-deserved gold medal.”

Skills BC hosts 13 regional and one provincial competition each year, aimed at celebrating and rewarding students for excellence in their mastery of skilled trade and technology capabilities.

This is O’Connor’s second time competing at Skills BC and his second gold medal. He’ll join Thompson at the National Skills competition, taking place June 5-8 in Vancouver.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region for 30 years, and has opened doors to success for more than 250,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts, science, design, health, trades and technology, apprenticeships, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 18,000 students annually have a choice from over 200 programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations.

STP Fast Facts - 14 key facts about high school-to-post-secondary transitions and educational attainment in BC.

Student Transitions By Region – matrices for the province and each region, highlighting the number of BC grade 12 graduates transitioning to BC public post-secondary education.

If you have questions about STP data please contact Joanne Heslop, Manager of the STP: joanne@sfu.ca.

For more information visit http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/student_transitions/welcome.htm.

NANAIMO, BC

A coalition of community leaders have formed a working group to begin planning a series of dialogue sessions to address the theme of reconciliation and racism prevention in Nanaimo.

This was the outcome of a dialogue session held today at Vancouver Island University. In the presence of VIU’s First Nations Elders, those in attendance addressed the theme of “Rising to the Challenge of Reconciliation: Building a Stronger Community.”

Co-hosted by Snuneymuxw First Nation, the City of Nanaimo and VIU, participants included representatives from Nanaimo’s indigenous, multicultural, educational, business and public sector communities.

Further details on the working group’s membership and next steps will be announced shortly. However, VIU has committed to hosting the first public forum on the theme of reconciliation, tentatively scheduled for the evening of Thursday, May 9, 2013.

Chief Doug White said today’s meeting “was a positive opportunity to build reconciliation and address underlying issues of racism.”

“It is clear that the incident from last week does not reflect in any way a large segment of our society,” White said. “The larger segment of our society is reflected in the diverse group of peoples – Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal – who came together today standing shoulder to shoulder, who recognize that there is need to build understanding and knowledge to eradicate the issues of racism, which are ignorance and lack of understanding. There is also recognition that this isn’t just an Aboriginal issue. The dignity of all Canadians is at stake here.”

VIU President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ralph Nilson said today’s meeting demonstrates that Nanaimo consists of a collective group of people who care deeply about the community and are committed to working together.

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Read the STATEMENT FROM THE VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY BOARD OF GOVERNORS AND ADMINISTRATION

This innovative, two-year part-time, fully-online, 30 credit program, develops confident educators competent in the use of existing and emergent technologies to optimize online learning and teaching opportunities for diverse learners in equally diverse environments. Through digital immersion in a variety of environments, students will explore theory and its practical applications based on research, as well as current and emergent practices.

The program engages a cohort model of 25 seats and meets industry and school district needs for knowledgeable and skilled distance educators focused on engagement, achievement and student success.

Applications for September 2013 are now being accepted and the selection process begins March 31 annually.

Program information is available here http://www.viu.ca/education/programs/oltd/index.asp