Ontario announces it is expanding public college degree options to address workforce shortages

Ontario announced is is expanding degree options at publicly assisted colleges in an attempt to address workforce shortages.

The province said Ontario’s public colleges will now be able to develop three and four-year degree programs in key sectors, such as the auto sector, road and highway construction, hospitals and long-term care homes.

Ontario says the expansion will also enable increased access to education for students in smaller communities and rural areas because it will allow them to graduate sooner and enter the workforce more quickly.

“Ontario colleges play a key role in providing students with career-focused education and in addressing the labour needs of key sectors driving the province’s economy,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities, in a statement. “Expanding college degrees aligns with our government’s priority of investing in critical infrastructure and positioning Ontario as a North American leader in the auto sector while helping learners gain the skills necessary to support this sector of the economy. This expansion will also provide students more opportunities to access high-quality education and ensure they graduate with the skills, expertise and credentials that meet the demands of today’s job market.”

The province says the three-year applied degrees will provide an opportunity for colleges to develop programs to address workforce shortages, such as highly skilled technology workers in the health care field, digital, data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and process automation sectors, as well as workers to build electric vehicles and infrastructures like roads and transit.

Ontario says it anticipates the new programs will start accepting the new programs will start accepting students in the fall of 2023.

Programs will be approved by the minister and the province says the cap on degree programs that colleges can offer will be raised by five per cent.

“Ontario is facing a historic labour shortage, and we need all hands-on deck to tackle it,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, in a statement. “That is why our government is taking action to ensure young people are graduating with the skills they need to earn bigger paycheques that are waiting for them. This is how we build back a stronger province and bring good jobs to every corner of Ontario.”