MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

The CSC has focused during the past two years on developing the curriculum and promoting the credentials (ACE and TOWES) required to facilitate the smooth transition of upgrading students into employment and post secondary programming.

In June 2004 the Academic and Career Entrance (ACE) program received final approval from the Colleges Branch. The ACE Certificate is accepted as equivalent to an OSSD for purposes of enrolling in further college education or registering as an apprentice. TOWES is an alternate credential for people seeking improved employment opportunities.

In 2002, seven upgrading students were profiled in the newsletter. In this edition, we are focusing on upgrading students who have moved on to post secondary programming.

Of course there have been a number of Freudian slips since the last "College Matters". No doubt, "upgrading" often does feel more like "updraging" and "dripouts" is a good way to describe student exits. I want to clarify that "faulty" instead of "faculty" in a recent document was a typo not a slip!

PREPARED FOR SUCCESS

In 1995 the CSC began tracking the success of graduates who had moved on to post secondary programs. The full 2003-2004 report is available at www.collegeupgradingon.ca/ Reports and Resources.

Here are a few highlights from that report:

The most popular Post Secondary (PS) destination continues to be Health Sciences (26%) followed by Technology (21%) and Business (20%).

82% of upgrading students in PS programming pass their first semester. Only 8% withdraw – primarily for financial reasons.

Average GPA's by program range from 2.82 in GAS to 3.28 in Trades.

ACADEMIC AND CAREER ENTRANCE PROGRAM

ACE, approved for delivery at all 24 Ontario Colleges, replaces the College Entry Level programming called Basic Training for Skills Development— Level4 (BTSD 4). Students desiring an ACE credential must complete clearly defined criteria. Students not requiring the credential may take only those courses or portions of courses required for admission to their chosen post secondary program.

TOWES Canada's Essential Credential

Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES) "measures workplace essential skills, which differ from the academic skills measured by credentials such as ACE and an OSSD." TOWES can help improve job prospects and advancement opportunities. TOWES tests for three essential workplace skills: reading text, document use and numeracy. This nationally validated test takes 2 hours to write and is available at colleges across Ontario. For more information log on to www.collegeconnect.on.ca or www.towes.com.