George Brown College – Canada India Education Council

Source: Torontoist via Academica

The Torontoist has released an article highlighting how three universities and three colleges based in Toronto are working to support student mental health issues. The piece focuses on what programs and events the schools offer on top of existing counselling programs that are available on most campuses; it examines the efforts of Ryerson University, the University of Toronto, York University, Humber College, Seneca College, and George Brown College, as well as collaborative efforts between the institutions. Among these collaborative efforts is Mindfest, an event organized collaboratively between OCAD University, Ryerson University, and the University of Toronto that includes information sessions and a club night to help raise students’ awareness of the mental wellness programs available to them on their home campuses.

Source: Ontario News Release via Academica | March 18, 2014

The Ontario government has committed $1.5 million towards partnerships with George Brown College and Ryerson University that are aimed towards training graduates for jobs that lack skilled employees. George Brown will receive $750,000 to train 92 unemployed and under-employed youth for commercial baking and metalwork jobs. Ryerson will get $800,000 to create 120 jobs in the high-tech sector for graduates in the social sciences and humanities; examples of possible initiatives include offering liberal arts graduates short-term training and job placements that would provide them with the types of skills already acquired by science students. Both projects are part of the government’s $25-million Youth Skills Connections program, which aims to bring employers, PSE institutions, government and young people together to tackle the so-called skills-gap issue.

TCS Insights: The Ontario government hopes to fill the void created by low numbers of skilled employees in certain industries by training unemployed and underemployed individuals for available positions. The province is displaying a commitment to providing job opportunities for all students attending post-secondary institutions.