NB 955
June 26, 2008
FREDERICTON (CNB) - The government will add seats and a new Fredericton campus to the New Brunswick community college network. The additions will become autonomous from government as outlined in Be Inspired. Be Ready. Be Better. The Action Plan to Transform Post-Secondary Education in New Brunswick.
Premier Shawn Graham and Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Ed Doherty announced today that the community college network will be redesigned so that it will be separate from government and closely aligned to community needs.
"In the Charter for Change, we promised to introduce a new vision for the New Brunswick community college network and increased training opportunities, and today we delivered on that promise," Graham said. "We want to modernize and energize our community college network so that it will be better positioned to meet the diverse training needs of students and those of the labour force."
The system will consist of an anglophone and francophone college, each with its own president and board. Existing campuses will be retained and grouped regionally as follows:
Francophone community college
Anglophone community college
"As stated in our plan, the Fredericton area is underserviced by the community college, but under our new vision that will change," Doherty said.
As part of the new realignment of the community college network, the government will invest in a new campus for Fredericton, with the first intake of students expected in 2011-12.
Beginning next year, the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design will be enhanced and re-branded with a distinct identity as the centre for artistic and creative excellence in the province, in order to attract a greater student population. It will also be mandated to form stronger partnerships with public universities.
12,000 community college spaces and an improved apprenticeship program
Capacity at the community colleges will also be expanded by 11,000 spaces over the next five years, with an additional 1,000 by the school year 2017-18.
"We are focused on boosting the participation rate of full-time students ages 17 to 29 in community colleges, in order to meet the national average," said Doherty. "These additional spaces are in response to our collaboration with stakeholders concerned about potential labour shortages. We will ramp up activity in various trades and health-care sectors, and offer more training opportunities to meet the growing demand for human resources in our labour market."
To support the need for skilled trades, the Government of New Brunswick will transform the apprenticeship program in 2008-09. Improvements to the program include a co-ordinated method to match workplaces to apprentices, a new credit system for training, and a reduction in the amount of time required to complete apprenticeship training. The new system will also feature increased participation by industry and relevant unions. The apprenticeship program will increase the number of apprentices by 2,570 - from 3,630 to 6,200 - by 2012-13, putting more skilled workers into the New Brunswick workforce.
"There are exciting developments in the energy and construction sectors that will be of great benefit to the province's economy," Graham said. "This investment in human capital is essential so that New Brunswick may take full advantage of the opportunities before us. Increasing the participation rates in our apprenticeships and community college network will help us be more competitive as we work to attract, recruit and retain workers in this province."
The government's plan to transform post-secondary education is available online.
08/06/26
MEDIA CONTACT: Elaine Bell, communications, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, 506-453-2568.
08/06/26