EVOLUTION OF RELATIONS BETWEEN COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN ONTARIO

Abstract

Community colleges in Ontario, Canada, formally known as colleges of applied arts and technology, were established in the late 1960s. Since their inception, these colleges have emphasized occupation‐specific training, with little university transfer function. However, during the past few years there has been considerable debate about college‐university articulation, or the lack thereof, promoted to a large extent by the provincial government. In the interests of “restructuring” to promote greater “efficiency,” though neither of these terms appears to have been clearly defined, the government is encouraging college and university collaboration in academic programs. The new interest in intersectoral collaboration appears to be rooted in the stated need for Ontario to become more competitive in the high‐end value‐added manufacturing and knowledge industries, as well as in the need to make the province's postsecondary education more accessible and efficient. However, in the absence of an integrated policy framework and supporting structures, it will be difficult to overcome the strongly ingrained attitudes and practices that work against broad and effective college‐university articulation in Ontario.