Algonquin College Responds to Release of Auditor General’s Report

Posted on Thursday, December 2nd, 2021

December 2, 2021 – Ottawa, Ontario —Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk today released the 2021 Annual Report which included a value-for-money audit on Ontario’s Public Colleges.

The Office of the Auditor General is an independent Office of the Legislative Assembly that conducts financial audits of the provincial government, its ministries and agencies including the oversight of Ontario’s 24 public colleges.

“We welcome the findings and recommendations contained in the Office of the Auditor General’s report,” said Algonquin College President and CEO Claude Brulé. “They continue to shine a light on the financial pressures facing public colleges in Ontario and ensuring we are able to provide quality cutting edge and relevant programs to our learners. We look forward to continued conversations with the provincial government around issues like attracting international students, public/private partnerships, skills shortages and bridging the funding gaps in post-secondary education at Colleges.”

Report findings included:

  • 2% to 88.5% of graduates found full-time employment in a related field six months after graduation. As well, from 2015 to 2019, 89.6% to 92.5% of employers surveyed were satisfied or very satisfied with their employees’ college preparation for their role.
  • The escalating skills shortage in key areas like technology and the skilled trades can only be addressed by attracting more immigrants. International programs that encourage people to study and pursue careers in Ontario are strengthening our workforce.
  • In real dollars, the revenue from grants and domestic tuition is about 13 per cent less than what it was in 2007. The tuition revenues from international fees allow us to continue investing in high-quality programs for all students. Sixty-eight per cent of all tuition fee revenue now comes from international student tuition fees, for a total of $1.7 billion—a significant contribution to the public colleges’ $1.22 billion (62%) increase in collective net assets over the four years prior to the pandemic.
  • From 2012-13 to 2020-21, domestic student enrolments decreased by 15% while international student enrolments grew by 342%. About 30% of all 348,350 students enrolled in public colleges in Ontario in the fall of 2020 were international students, who pay an average of $14,306 in annual tuition fees compared to an average domestic tuition fee of $3,228. This leaves the colleges highly reliant on international student enrolment to subsidize the provincial costs of domestic students’ education and colleges’ administrative and capital expenditures.

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About Algonquin College
The mission of Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success. Algonquin College, an Ontario public sector community college, does this by offering hands-on, digitally connected, experiential learning in more than 185 programs. Based in the Ottawa Valley, Algonquin College is the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario. https://www.algonquincollege.com

 

For More Information

Bruce Hickey
Acting Communications Manager
Algonquin College
hickeyb@algonquincollege.com
613-513-9935

Sara-Lynne Levine
Communications Officer
Algonquin College
levines2@algonquincollege.com


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