New funding for micro-credentials will benefit Algonquin College students and job seekers

Posted on Friday, November 6th, 2020

The Ontario budget investment of $59.5 million to expand micro-credential retraining programs will help more Algonquin College students find rewarding careers and job seekers acquire the expertise to return to the workforce.

“The Ontario government’s investment in micro-credentials will help support the ever-changing needs of both our students and Ontario’s economy,” said Claude Brulé, Algonquin College’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Micro-credentials will allow colleges to respond to demand for upskilling and retraining, and address needs in regional labour markets – as well as support our collaborative efforts with employers and industry partners.”

The 2020 Ontario Budget tabled on Thursday announced the new funding over three years to support Ontario’s new micro-credentials strategy, which will help people retrain and upgrade their skills to find new employment.

The funding will be used to create an online portal of micro-credential training opportunities, develop new micro-credential programs, launch a public awareness campaign and to develop a virtual passport that creates opportunities for people in the programs to pursue further learning.

The government also announced that students enrolled in qualified programs will be eligible to get student assistance.

Expanding micro-credential programs to provide more retraining opportunities was one of the recommendations in a recent white paper, The Future of Ontario’s Workers, by the StrategyCorp Institute of Public Policy and Economy. It was submitted to Colleges and Universities Minister Ross Romano as part of the minister’s consultations on modernizing higher education.

The paper has also recommended other important steps Ontario must take to produce a strong workforce that will drive economic growth. These include establishing career-focused three-year degree programs at colleges and creating master’s degrees at colleges for college and university graduates in specialized fields such as robotics, cybersecurity and animation.

 


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