No interest after Graduation

Students have six months before interest begins to accrue on their loans – encourage students, who can, to begin paying back loans before the six month period ends.

Ontario Student Opportunity Grant (OSOG)

This grant can limit yearly debt to a maximum of $7000 for two-term year, or $10,500 for three-term year

Interest Relief

Eligible students can suspend monthly loan payments if they cannot afford to make them.

Revision of Repayment Terms

Students can change his or her monthly payment by adjusting his or her loan repayment period.

Debt Reduction in Repayment

This program may help students reduce their debt if they are still having difficulty repaying five years after leaving their program of study.

Repayment Assistance Plan

This plan helps students through reasonable and affordable payments

Visit http://osap.gov.on.ca for more information about any of the above programs

Tools For Career Colleges

Admission Standards

Use admissions testing which not only meets ministry requirements but also those of the program – this will ensure student’s can handle the curriculum.

Entrance Counselling

Remind students during entrance interviews if they are applying for a loan it is their financial responsibility; arm your students with the information to make an informed decision before applying to OSAP.

Mid-program Counselling

Keep an eye on students who are falling behind, a withdrawn student still has to pay back loans and may lose out on grants.

Program quality, industry relevance and placements

Offer high quality programs that provide good value for money invested  in order to ensure that students feel good about their education and are more inclined to repay their loans.

Use program advisory committees for curriculum development and maintenance to ensure that the material being taught meets industry standards, and will lead to employment after graduation.”

Assist students with finding unpaid practicum placements to practice what they have learned, to gain real-world experience and begin networking before graduation, in an effort to increase their likelihood of becoming gainfully employed.

Exit interviews

Conduct exit interviews with students to remind them of their obligation to repay their loans, and the importance of keeping the National Student Loan Service Centre (NSLSC) informed of any address and contact information changes

Encourage graduates to read all correspondence received from NSLSC in a timely manner and offer to provide clarification about such correspondence, as needed.

Follow-up

Once the program of study has been completed, remind students of the responsibilities associated with OSAP, and the potential consequences of nonpayment such as garnishment of income tax refunds, and poor credit ratings that could negatively affect their ability to get car loans or mortgages in the future.

Student follow-up is an important step in reducing defaults.

Contact students after graduation to remind them of their obligation to repay their loans, through the use of a series of letters, emails and calls.

Contact OACC if you have any questions about helping your students keep their loans in good standing.

Assistant Deputy Minister of the Postsecondary Education Division of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Nancy Naylor, was treated to a whirlwind tour of some of  Ontario’s Private Career Colleges on June 28.  A diverse range of private career colleges were visited to give ADM Naylor a look into the private career college sector.

Assistant Deputy Minister Nancy Naylor (front, left) speaks with staff at Canadian Business College during her tour of the Bloor Street West campus.

The tour featured stops at a variety of private career colleges including Canadian Business College, Pre-Apprenticeship Training Institute, Liaison College, Metalworks Institute, triOS College as well as The Canadian Academy of Dental Hygiene. ADM Naylor was shown just how varied the registered Private Career College industry is in Ontario.

At Canadian Business  College, students and staff were just getting started as ADM Naylor saw the college. The 22^nd floor campus in downtown Toronto offers a variety of programs and a testing centre. The main level dental hygiene facility gave ADM Naylor a firsthand look at the unique classroom for dental hygiene students.

During the course of the tour, ADM Naylor spoke with students and staff alike to gain some perspective on higher education and PCCs. Tom Bozic spoke about his former job being moved off shore. He decided to attend Pre-Apprenticeship Training Institute in order to get a jump start on his career, and already has a job interview with one of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies.

At Liaison college, a light lunch was followed up with a tour and a brief stop to speak with one of the students. Monica Osei-Bonsu felt going back to college was a challenge being around fellow students who are much younger, but after some encouragement from her faculty, she has stayed the course and helped serve up a delicious three-course meal to ADM Naylor.

The tour made its way to Metalworks Institute, a one-of-a-kind college where the students learn the tools of the music trade. The college is next to Metalworks Studios where big names in Canadian music, such as Drake, Rush and Anne Murray, have recorded albums.

triOS Mississauga Campus welcomed ADM Naylor with a tour the newly renovated facility and learned about the college’s unique features.

ADM Naylor was very interested in the facilities she visited along the tour, stopping often to snap photos to bring back to the Ministry offices.

Here’s a behind the scenes look at the tour!

ADM Naylor (left) speaks with students at Pre-Apprenticeship Training Institute about why they chose to continue their education at one of Ontario’s many registered Private Career Colleges

At The Canadian Academy of Dental Hygiene ADM Naylor spoke with staff about their new facility and the dental hygiene industry.

triOS CEO Frank Gerencser (centre) speaks with ADM Naylor about one of the many programs triOS offers.

Chef David Bakker (left) helps one of his students “plate” the lunch for ADM Naylor at Liaison College Lakeshore Campus.

ADM Naylor (left) poses with Metalworks Institute owner Gil Moore, OACC Board member Frank Gerencser and PCC sector consultant Carol Bruni inside one of the school’s many recording studios.

Winning Poster: Your Future, Your Choice by Sarah Alty of Herzing College

Winning Video – Olunama Presents OACC, by Oscar Luna Martinez, Graduate of RCC Institute of Technology

Learning is Ultimately a Personal Journey, By Kim Morrison of triOS College

To Do List, by Katherine Ker of Herzing College

I Can, by Steve Valentim of Herzing College

The Future Is In Your Hands, By Amethea Cyr of Everest College

Why a Career College by Laura Adlard of Robetech Institute

Be Ahead, by Anna Kazakevitch

Choose the Best, By Diane Brisson of CTS Canadian Career College

VIDEOS

Though it has been in the works for several months, the Ontario Association of Career Colleges is happy to share our latest newsletter with members. The 411: A Guide to Career Colleges in Ontario is designed specifically for high school students and guidance counsellors.

OACC sent out the first edition of the 411 today via email to almost 1,000 guidance counsellors across the province. The information-packed newsletter will be issued on a quarterly basis. It is intended to inform students and counsellors about the career college sector. The May 2010 edition contains facts about career colleges in Ontario and a guideline on how to choose a career college. Click here to read the 411.

The above video was the first one to be entered. It was done by Nicole Vansconcelos, a student at Medix School. Other entries have been submitted by Guino Anderson of Trebas Institute and two classes at triOS College. Click here to view all the videos and VOTE on your favourite! The most-voted on entries will be the finalists. One video will win $500!!!

Learn more about the Career College Challenge by clicking here. The Challenge encourages students and graduates to submit a poster or a video expressing the benefits of career education. The contest runs until Friday, June 4 – so get your entries in by submitting them online (posters at this site and videos here.) One poster and one video will be chosen by an OACC committee to win $500. Happy creating!

triOS College Business Technology Healthcare Inc. is a top rated Private Career College with eight (8) locations throughout Southwestern Ontario & GTA. We have an immediate opportunity for a Financial Aid Officer (FAO) to join our Oshawa campus team.

The primary responsibility of this position is to provide financial counselling to students enabling them to obtain educational funding resources. In addition, you will also collect tuition and courseware fees as well as maintain student records. A strong background in customer service and sales is essential to success in this position. Collections experience would be an asset.

To be successful you will have 2 – 3 years of related work experience that includes working with OSAP. Preference will be given to candidates that have experience working in a Private Career College. A strong background in customer service and sales is essential.  Collections experience would be an asset. You will be proficient with MS Office, primarily Word and Excel.

triOS offers a competitive salary and excellent benefits package to attract and retain qualified candidates.

To join the triOS team, please submit your resume by email to oshawahr@trios.com or by fax to (905) 814-7212 stating the position you are applying. The successful applicant will be required to complete a criminal background check.

——————————————————————————————

NOTE: OACC acts as a conduit in sharing information and does not endorse any particular entities that appear on this blog. If you have a job posting, property listing, equipment for sale or anything else you would like to circulate, please email laurabailey@oacc.on.ca .

Career colleges were featured in the Toronto Sun’s jobboom section yesterday. After years of working in business, Dianne Day needed a change. She graduated from the Salon + Spa Career College in Toronto and opened her own business in esthetics.  Day is not alone – according to a recent Statistics Canada report, more than 100,000 people joined the ranks of the self employed between October 2008 and October 2009. To read more, check out the article by clicking here.

The Ontario Association of Career Colleges is very excited to launch this cool contest for career college students and graduates. Create a poster or 30-second video explaining why you chose a career college, what you learned while attending or the benefits of career college education for a chance to win $500 in cash! Upload your entry online at www.oacc.ca/contest until May 22 and vote for your favourite entries! Entries with the most votes will be the finalists – and one poster and one video will be chosen by an OACC committee to win $500.

Show us your talent! Get creative! Career college students do amazing work and we want to show it off! Get thinking.. visit www.oacc.ca/contest for more details.

Career colleges were featured in today’s Toronto Sun. The article profiled two career college graduates who received funding under the province’s Second Career Strategy, a popular retraining program that assists students with tuition, books and living expenses. Ontario’s career colleges have delivered about half of the training under Second Career.

Three Second Career recipients will tell their story at Blue Mountain 2010, OACC’s 37th annual conference. In their own words, the two graduates and one student will explain what is was like to lose their jobs due to cutbacks and how they persevered to become a college graduate.