Review - Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research

The framework will distinguish between different levels of credentials offered by
private career colleges (for example, between a diploma and a certificate). 68
The training manual also indicates that programs will also be assessed against
program-specific standards. Program standards will be developed in consultation
with private career colleges, employers, professional associations and other
interested parties. The standards will identify the basic program outcomes and
competencies that students must achieve. They will be designed to reflect the skills
and knowledge necessary to be employed in the vocation. A private career college
program’s compliance with standards will be assessed by third party program
assessors who will provide an opinion on the program to the superintendent.
Training
organisations
All private career colleges whose courses are more than 40 hours or cost more than
$1000 for a student to enrol, fall under the Private Career College Act 2005 and
must register with the ministry.
Registered private career colleges and the programs they offer can be found at
www.riccpcc.serviceontario.ca/pcc/CommandServlet?command=publicreport&confi
g=pccProgram1Html.xml&parm_type_1=StrING&parm_value_1=EN
Conditions of registration:
The conditions of registration are listed at
www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/operate.html#conditions.
They include:
• insurance (public liability)
• trust account for international student fees
• college administration and record keeping (student contracts, student
transcripts, student complaint procedures, record keeping procedures)
• keeping the ministry informed (substantial changes to approved programs,
change in student complaint procedures, changes in ownership)
• instructors
• fee collection and refunds. Compulsory fee rates apply unless the applying
organisation discloses an optional fee in relation to a vocational program at
the time of program approval, or has one subsequently authorised by the
superintendent. The rules for refunds are listed at
www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/factsheet2.pdf.
Of interest is the qualification requirements for trainers, which include that they
must:
• hold a bachelor degree from an Ontario university or an equivalent degree, or
• be a graduate of a college of applied arts and technology or equivalent, or
• be a graduate of a registered private career college or equivalent, or
• be the holder of a certificate of qualification under the trades qualifications
and apprenticeship Act or the apprenticeship certification Act or equivalent
Canadian certificate, and
• have 24 months occupational experience in the vocation to be taught
Or
• have 36 months of teaching experience in the vocation for which instruction
is given, and
• 24 months occupational experience in the vocation to be taught
68 Please refer to the Ontario Qualifications framework which covers the credentials framework; it is presently incomplete as
the nomenclature for private career college credentials is still to be confirmed.
Comparisons of international quality assurance systems in vocational education and training Page 76 of 115