The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is now offering a $99 Post-Secondary Student Metropass – saving students $22 each month compared to the adult fare metropass. Since January of this year, the OACC has asked the TTC for information in regards to private career college students’ eligibility. The OACC consistent position has been that career college students should be eligible to access the passes.

However, OACC learned late last week from the Chair of the TTC Commission that students attending registered private career colleges in the City of Toronto would not be eligible for the new TTC Post-secondary Student Metropass. OACC believes that this policy is unfair and discriminatory, and voiced that firmly with the Toronto Star, resulting in an article on this inequity being published on August 31.

“Career-college students locked out of TTC post-secondary pass”

OACC is working with the TTC Commission and with City of Toronto Councillors in an effort to change this policy. However, we need support and assistance from all registered private career colleges with campuses located in the Toronto area. We also need support from our students who are being denied access to the post-secondary student passes.

In the following pages we have included steps for students as well as owners and administrators to take to make TTC Commissioners and City Councillors aware of the seriousness and scope of this issue for current and future students.

We have also included talking points to guide members and their students when discussing this unfair and inequitable policy.

Our goal is to have the policy amended to include career college students at the TTC Commission meeting on September 30, 2010 or sooner, if possible.

TTC $99 Post-secondary Student Metropass

Talking Points

• Approximately 15,000 post-secondary students in the City of Toronto make the choice to attend registered private career colleges annually, and over 46,000 students in Ontario make the same choice.

• The Toronto Transit Commission’s new $99 Post-Secondary Student Metropass is not available to post-secondary students at registered private career colleges in the City of Toronto.

• The discount Metropass saves students at public colleges and universities $22 per month, with an annual savings of $264.

• This is unfair and discriminatory

• The Ontario Association of Career Colleges (OACC) firmly believes its members and their students in the City of Toronto should be eligible for this new discounted metropass. All post-secondary students live on tight budgets regardless of where they attend class.

• A student attending a university or college while working full-time taking one or two courses is eligible for the $99 Post-Secondary Student Metropass, however full-time private career college students are not. This is unfair.

• OACC represents over 250 registered private career colleges in the province, about half of which are in the Greater Toronto Area. The number of registered private career colleges is approximately 230 (112 OACC members) in the City of Toronto alone.

• The costs for including the students of registered private career colleges would be small compared to the overall costs associated with the new $99 Post-secondary Student Metropass initiative

• The OACC is willing to work with the TTC in an effort to include students in diploma programs attending registered private career colleges in the coverage areas.

Students

• Students should contact their city councillor and make them aware of the issue and ask for their support.

• Send them an email and call them

• Tell them that this issue is very important to you

• Let them know you attend a registered private career college, which is regulated by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU). Make them aware that your diploma program is also approved by the Ministry.

• Tell them you live in their ward and attend a registered private career college and find the TTC policy grossly unfair.

• Ask your councillor to help get the OACC and the $99 Post-secondary Student Metropass issue on the agenda for the TTC Commission’s September 30th meeting.

• Go to http://app.toronto.ca/wards/findAddressForVotingPlace.do to find your ward and the name of your Toronto City Councillor.

• If contacting the councillor via e-mail, please CC your college so we can see how many students make their voices heard.

• Join our Facebook group Ontario Association of Career Colleges (and our TTC initiative group) and follow us on Twitter for regular updates @ontarioacc.

Owners/Administrators

• Owners and administrators of private career colleges should also contact their Toronto City Councillor and make them aware of the issue affecting your students. Inform them you live in their ward and own or work for a private career college and find the TTC policy for the post-secondary metropass unfair.

• Ask them to write a letter to the TTC Commissioners asking them to include post secondary students attending private career colleges in the Metropass discount program

• Ask your councillor to help get the OACC and the post-secondary metropass issue on the agenda for the TTC Commission’s September 30th meeting.

• Visit http://app.toronto.ca/wards/findAddressForVotingPlace.do to find your ward and the name of your Toronto City Councillor.

• Please let the OACC know about the contact you or your staff and students have with councillors so we may keep track of the effort.

• Join our Facebook group by searching “Ontario Association of Career Colleges” (and our TTC initiative group) and follow us on Twitter for regular updates @ontarioacc.

Links to share

Facebook Group: Include Private Career College Students in TTC Post-Secondary Metropass

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=150753031615197

Go to this link to determine the ward and the name of your City Councillor

http://app.toronto.ca/wards/findAddressForVotingPlace.do

This is the list of City Councillors

http://app.toronto.ca/im/council/councillors.jsp

“OMG – my college just tweeted me.”

And so begins a trend piece that was in the Toronto Star this weekend about post secondary institutions using social media. A Toronto student, frustrated with being placed on hold, complained via Twitter. Within minutes, a “How can I help?” reply came from a college rep.

Social media and its use for career colleges was the subject of a blog post I wrote a few months ago. Is it something your college is exploring? What have your experiences been?

A related item in the headlines: smart phone applications and their use in academic settings. Most recently, the University of Western Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business launched an app for the iPhone and Blackberry called “Ivey MBA.” It will allow students to connect to the School’s social media channels, news feeds and blogs posted by admissions staff and current MBA students. Students can also use the app to register for upcoming events.

Interesting. Do you think this is the future of recruitment?

Social media for career colleges will be the subject of a workshop on April 23 at Blue Mountain 2010, OACC’s 37th annual conference. Find out more by clicking here.

With the threat of a strike looming at Ontario’s 24 community colleges, it’s important to remember the other option.

Talks with Ontario’s 9,000 community college instructors broke down in December. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union is holding a strike vote on January 13.

It’s business as usual at the province’s more than 600 private career colleges. Career colleges may be a better fit for individuals who want to begin a diploma program without the risk of a labour dispute, or those in the Second Career program application process. Most career colleges have frequent start dates throughout the year and may enroll students as often as once per month.

“Ontario’s career colleges offer the necessary tools to kick start your future with diverse options for postsecondary education,” said Paul Kitchin, Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Career Colleges.

Students have already spoken out. A recent Canadian Press article summed up the fears of many Second Career program students at public colleges.  A strike was compared to “another layoff” by one mature student.

Meanwhile, a Toronto Star article indicated the online backlash from community college students. The Facebook group “Ontario College Students Against a Strike” boasts over 17,000 members and a petition signed by over 3,000.

While both sides hope to negotiate a deal, it’s important to note that career college students can earn a diploma or certificate in about 12 months in many exciting fields, including: business, law, the arts, information technology, the trades, esthetics, health care, social services and electronics.

There are over 600 registered private career colleges in more than 70 communities across Ontario.

Private career colleges provide a full range of support services for students, including career planning, interview preparation and job-finding skills, from day one until graduation.

To find a private career college near you, visit www.ontariocollegesearch.ca. For more information on the Ontario Association of Career Colleges, visit www.oacc.ca.

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Delicious, Tumblr, LinkedIn, blogs and wikis – the list goes on, but you get the idea. There have never been more ways to connect with others. The online explosion of user-generated content begs the question – how do you, as a business, harness its power?

It’s a concept that many organizations have been toying with. The Ontario Association of Career Colleges waded into the world of web 2.0 a month ago, with a new blog and accounts on Twitter and Facebook. So far, the experience has been positive. Our small base of followers is slowly growing.

Many organizations have jumped to include social media in their communications strategy. A recent survey done by Sage North America found that 88 percent of U.S. and Canadian nonprofits are using some form of social media, although less than half of this number have been using the channel for more than a year.

According to a 2008 survey done by agency Com.motion and Pollara, two-thirds of Canadians (65 per cent) who use social media say social media tools are important for learning about products, services, organizations and brands, up from 59 per cent in 2007. Nearly four in five Canadians (79 per cent) say they have used social media tools. That’s up from 71 per cent in 2007.

This all spells potential for savvy marketers. For private career colleges, the most obvious benefits could be in student recruitment – it could be a direct channel to people considering going to school.

So tell us – what has your experience been with social media, professionally or personally? Does your business have a blog? A Twitter account? A Facebook page? What are the challenges with using social media? How can private career colleges use it effectively?

Social media has emerged as a topic of interest to OACC members. Several respondents requested a speaker or workshop dealing with online marketing and social networking for OACC’s conference in April. What would you like to learn? Could you suggest a speaker?

Let’s start a discussion…