Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Performance Measures

Goal 1: Excellent public and private post-secondary education that meets the needs and aspirations of British Columbians, especially in supporting the needs of an educated workforce

Objective 1.1: British Columbians have opportunities to attend post-secondary education

• Achieving this objective will ensure that an integrated public and private post-secondary system has sufficient space to accommodate the needs of students who want to pursue a post-secondary education. It will also ensure graduates meet employers’ demands for highly skilled workers and institutions respond to their communities’ needs for education and skills training.
• The customary challenges associated with the objective, such as ensuring spaces are available when and where they are needed; matching operating, capital and financial aid capacity at the right place and time; and managing the regional variation in demand for programs, have been exacerbated by the strong economy’s affect on people’s decisions on whether or not to attend programs.
• Recent enrolment growth has been slower than previously forecast owing to the very strong B.C. economy. In response, the Ministry has moved some of the planned seats into specific key programs. The Ministry has announced that 2,500 new graduate seats will be created to respond to the needs of the knowledge economy and to meet the research and innovation agenda government is leading. In addition, some of the seats are being used for health-related programs to increase the number of doctors, nurses and other health professionals, and for trades training to address skills gaps and shortages in specific occupations.

Strategies

• Develop a new framework for the post-secondary system, clarifying mandates, roles and responsibilities.
• Target post-secondary growth to meet the new labour market.

Performance Measure 1: Total student spaces in public institutions

Performance Measure 2: Total credentials awarded

Discussion

The number of spaces at public post-secondary institutions and the number of credentials awarded are two measures that indicate the capacity of the public post-secondary system to, first, enrol students and, second, for those students to complete their programs. The results of the first measure are influenced by many factors, including the Ministries of Advanced Education and Economic Development providing funding for seat allocations. The results of the second measure are jointly influenced by the Ministry and its partners: the Ministry provides funding; the institutions meet their target number of seats; and students complete programs. It should be noted that both enrolments and completions can soften in a vibrant economy where students are often hired before completing their programs. There are both positive and negative aspects to this dynamic.

The target for total student spaces is based on a plan to increase student spaces in the post-secondary education system to meet labour market demand. Student spaces are allocated throughout the Province to support regional access and to maintain the reduced Grade Point Average entrance requirements at universities.

In general terms, the number of credentials awarded is affected by the capacity of the system; the more students enrolled, the more credentials awarded. However, it should be noted that credentials awarded today are the result of funded student spaces in the past, as it can take several years of studies before students earn their credentials. For this reason, targets for credentials are partly based on previous years’ funded student spaces in the public post-secondary system.

Objective 1.2: Post-secondary education is accessible and affordable for students

• Achieving this objective will ensure that opportunities are available for students to pursue post-secondary education throughout the province.
• Challenges associated with this objective are ensuring that barriers to education are minimized and consideration of shifts in the composition and size of B.C.’s population are made. Barriers include financial and geographic limitations; shifts include increasing migration to B.C. and an increasing Aboriginal population. A significant number of those migrating to B.C. are new immigrants with at least a baccalaureate level of education, but whose first language is not English. This has an impact on the demand for English as a Second Language education.
• Growth in the Aboriginal population highlights the need for culturally sensitive programming. It also increases the need for supports to help Aboriginal learners make the transition from secondary education to post-secondary education, an important step in post-secondary education participation. For information on Aboriginal education initiatives in the Province, visit: www.aved.gov.bc.ca/aboriginal.
• There continues to be a significant portion of adults in the province with low levels of literacy. The Ministry supports these individuals’ efforts to achieve the level of learning required to reach their full potential in the modern economy. There are many individual, social and economic benefits to improving literacy skills and effective strategies need to be developed and implemented to increase adult literacy levels and enable the creation of a skilled and productive workforce. For more information, visit: www.aved.gov.bc.ca/literacy.
• Initiatives and supports are important for encouraging First Generation Learners — children from families without a history of post-secondary education.

Strategies

• Reduce financial barriers for students.
• Improve participation for under-represented groups, especially Aboriginals, immigrants and first generation learners.

Performance Measure 3: Per cent of former students’ monthly income used for education loan repayment

Discussion

The benefits of post-secondary education are well documented. Ensuring the cost of post-secondary education is balanced with manageable debt upon graduation illustrates Government’s commitment to providing affordable, accessible, high-quality and relevant post-secondary education.

The Ministry aims to focus efforts on reducing financial barriers to maintain high participation rates, especially for under-represented groups who tend to be most debt averse. Approximately half of all full-time public post-secondary students acquire government student loans, and of those about 40 per cent pay off their loans within two years.

This is the first year this data is being presented. One method to illustrate the affordability of post-secondary education is to relate students’ total educational-related costs to the financial benefit they receive from their education. Comparing debt levels and income beyond graduation provides a measure of affordability that will assist the Ministry in ensuring that all British Columbians have access to post-secondary education. It should be noted that the data used for this measure are based on surveys of former students who still had education-related loans outstanding at the time of the survey.

The target is to keep the percentage of monthly income used to pay off education loans equal to or lower than current levels. A lower debt to income ratio indicates a more affordable post-secondary education.

Performance Measure 4: Transition rate of high school students to post-secondary education

Discussion

This is a new measure. It reflects how well students are able to make the transition from secondary school to post-secondary education within three years. The measure indicates the percentage of high school students who complete their grade 12 program, and subsequently enrol in at least one course at a public post-secondary institution. Improving the success of B.C. students in this key transition is an important way to improve access and participation in post-secondary education.

In February 2007, the Outlook for British Columbia: COPS BC Unique Scenario for 2005 to 2015 stated that “more than 70 per cent of expected employment openings (newly created jobs and replacement openings) are expected to require some post-secondary education.” The target for this measure is set at 70 per cent to reflect the expected educational requirements of the economy.

Objective 1.3: B.C.’s institutions provide a high quality learning environment and meet standards of excellence

• Achieving this objective means that B.C.’s post-secondary students are assured a high standard of excellence in the education and training they receive and that the needs of students, employers and citizens are met.
• A challenge associated with this objective is ensuring that information is collected at a level of detail that makes it useful for post-secondary educational institutions and that it is used to encourage improvements in the quality of education and training programs.
• B.C.’s public post-secondary institutions are autonomous organizations. They manage their own affairs and determine their education programs and courses. The Ministry uses an Accountability Framework to ensure the institutions are accountable for the public resources they use.
• The BC Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) facilitates admission, articulation and transfer arrangements among B.C. post-secondary institutions. The number of active transfer agreements between institutions has increased by almost a third since 2004, making the credits that students earn more transferable than ever before. This gives students more flexibility and options in their post-secondary education.

Strategies

• Ensure public confidence in B.C.’s post-secondary system.
• Encourage innovation in the post-secondary system, including new ways of addressing the diversity of life-long learners by providing flexible, adaptable options.
• Reinforce a culture of quality and excellence for B.C.’s post-secondary institutions.

Performance Measure 5: Student assessment of quality at public institutions — overall satisfaction

Discussion

One of the major objectives of the post-secondary system is to provide a quality education to students. How satisfied they were with their education experience is an understood and accepted measure of quality.

The results of student overall satisfaction for the last several years have measured above 90 per cent. The target is set at above 90 per cent. As surveys are developed for private post-secondary institutions, satisfaction levels comparable to those of the public institutions will be expected.

Objective 1.4: Institutions offer courses and programs that are relevant to the needs of students and B.C.’s economy

• Achieving this objective will ensure that education and training offered through the post-secondary education system are relevant to the knowledge, skills and abilities needed in the labour market. In addition, the purpose of post-secondary education is to educate citizens who can respond to B.C.’s social and economic challenges and opportunities.
• Challenges associated with this objective are to address the current needs of students and employers by providing an appropriate array of programs, and to respond to the demands of a dynamic provincial economy. This includes addressing skill shortages in certain highly skilled occupations and in rural and northern areas, and responding to the needs of diverse industries, ranging from construction to the creative and knowledge-based sectors.

Strategies

• Target specific skills shortages by increasing the number of spaces available in health professions, skilled trades, technical careers and other professions where shortages are evident.
• Increase opportunities for Aboriginal learners and for graduate study, including graduate scholarships and internships.

Performance Measure 6: Student outcomes — unemployment rate

Discussion

One of the major objectives of a post-secondary education is to provide people with knowledge and skills so they can obtain employment. In addition, it provides skilled labour for the economy. This measure provides some indication of how successful former students were in making the transition from post-secondary education to employment.

To indicate this, the measure compares former post-secondary students and graduates’ unemployment rates with the unemployment rate for British Columbians with high-school credentials or less.

It is a well observed trend that the more education people have, the greater their chances of being employed. Therefore, the target for this measure is that former students and graduates should have a lower level of unemployment than those people with high school credentials or less.

Goal 2: Excellent research and innovation that supports economic and social development

Objective 2.1: Post-secondary institutions have the capacity to undertake research initiatives and activities

• Achieving this objective will ensure that researchers in B.C. have the resources and facilities necessary to fulfill the Ministry’s research goal.
• Challenges associated with this objective are the longer nature of the research cycle, often spread over many years, and the difficulty of obtaining data on research capacity in university colleges, colleges, institutes, non-profit research organizations, and the private sector.
• A large proportion of research funding is provided by the federal government and other agencies through external competitions. Therefore, the amount of federal funding is dependent on how successful B.C. researchers and scientists are in winning research awards.

Strategies

• Expand graduate programs at B.C.’s research universities.
• Increase research activity at B.C.’s research universities and other institutions.

Objective 2.2: Research activities lead to applied benefits

• Achieving this objective will ensure that research activity in B.C. produces results with relevant social and economic benefits.
• Challenges associated with this objective are the longer nature of the research cycle, often spread over many years, and the difficulty in tracking the commercialization of research and quantifying its benefits.

Strategies

• Establish better linkages with industry and business.
• Improve commercialization of research.

Performance Measure 7: Total research funding from all sources

Discussion

This measure assesses public post-secondary research capacity — the resources that public institutions have at their disposal for research and innovation. It includes the funding institutions receive from all sources, including the federal and provincial governments.

The target is to increase the amount of research funding each year. It is assumed that the greater the funding available for research initiatives, the more research and development activities will occur and that these activities will spin off applied benefits and commercialization opportunities.