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VICTORIA
– A former assistant deputy minister
of advanced education will conduct an independent review of the Private Career
Training Institutions Act as part of government’s commitment to improve quality
and protect students, Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell announced today.
John Watson was also president of the B.C. Institute of
Technology, and later oversaw the community college system in the United Arab
Emirates. He was president of a private company that provided technical
training for the pulp and paper and oil and gas industries, and served as a
training consultant to the oil and gas industry in Europe and Asia. He was also the founding executive director
of the association for Canada’s leading polytechnic institutes.
Watson’s review of the legislation and its regulations,
recommended by special adviser Geoff Plant in his April 2007 Report “Campus
2020 – Thinking Ahead,” will consider:
·
The views of and effects
on students, institutions, employers, the public, the B.C. Council on
Admissions and Transfer, the B.C. Career Colleges Association, the Private
Career Training Institutions Agency,
the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of B.C. and the
degree quality assessment board.
·
The overall goal of
public confidence in private post-secondary education in B.C., and B.C.’s
reputation for providing excellent post-secondary education.
·
Whether private English
as a second language schools should be regulated, and what is needed to ensure
they are accountable and deliver high-quality education.
·
The need to safeguard
individual students, as well as to protect B.C.’s reputation as a jurisdiction
offering high quality and reliable post-secondary education.
The review is intended to:
·
Inform government on the
effectiveness of the current legislation and regulations, and to advise
government on proposed policy or legislative changes that build on the
foundation that has already been laid.
·
Look for opportunities
for streamlining between the Private Career Training Institutions Act and the
Degree Authorization Act.
·
Consider accountability
issues, including annual performance reporting requirements, and whether those
requirements provide enough information to help students choose schools.
·
Explore balance issues
including protecting the public interest while minimizing regulatory burden;
the social responsibilities of educating students versus making a profit;
enhanced quality versus low fees and competitiveness; and powers of the
minister.
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Contact: |
Corinna Filion Communications Manager 250
952-6400/ cell: 250 812-7977 |
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