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By Colin Ewart - President, BC Colleges

Last week, the federal government announced further restrictions on international students. And once again, colleges are taking the hit – framed as the least valuable post-secondary option.

It is a damaging characterization when communities across British Columbia are starved for skilled professionals in all sectors.

B.C.’s colleges prepare graduates for careers building homes, working in hospitals and long-term care facilities, growing businesses and developing new technologies. They have jobs in aviation, education, tourism and municipalities – the list goes on. 

We should be encouraging students to choose colleges, not discount them.

Colleges offer all students, including those born in Canada and those who come from abroad, an affordable and accessible pathway to employment. According to the most recent B.C. Student Outcomes Survey, over 90 per cent of college graduates are working, and Statistics Canada published data this year indicates a higher percentage of diploma graduates have jobs when they’re done school (64 per cent) than those with a bachelor’s degree (56 per cent).

Post-secondary education has been for many years delivered by colleges, polytechnics and universities. For just as long, there’s been an assumption about the relative importance of the qualification that can be earned at each. Like rungs on a ladder, colleges are often unfairly perceived to be at the bottom, while polytechnics and universities are each a step higher.

It’s faulty logic, based on outdated assumptions about the programs colleges offer and the perceived prestige of jobs available to college grads.

And yet – Immigration Minister Marc Miller last week made it clear that the federal government would prefer international students choose the more expensive and time-consuming study options at universities, if they plan to pursue permanent residency in Canada.

His bias against colleges couldn’t be more obvious.

Under the new rules, for an international student at a college to qualify for a post-graduate work permit, they will need to have completed a program aligned to an area where Ottawa has identified a national labour shortage. International students at universities will qualify automatically.

In plain language, that means that only a select few of the programs currently offered at public colleges will be a viable pathway to immigration for international students, while any program at a university remains fair game.

The impacts in this province are clear: for international students, there will be less choice, centralized in larger cities with the bigger universities. Smaller communities and all employers who rely on immigration to support local growth will suffer.

Contrary to public belief, this is not simply about revenue for colleges. It is about the number of learners in a class. Without international students, the enrolment threshold that makes programs viable will be much harder to reach.  Colleges will be faced with the difficult decision to close programs that support local economies.

We should feel especially frustrated in B.C., because our public colleges have acted with integrity toward international students and stayed focused on serving our communities. If the problem was a few “bad actors” in the system – they are not here. British Columbia’s public institutions are caught up in a blunt, one-size-fits-all, national policy.

To its credit, our provincial government is a vocal advocate that understands the so-called ladder of post-secondary education must be turned on its side: rather than a hierarchy, universities, polytechnics and colleges are strongest as a system. Each part has value.

Our public colleges desperately need that strong advocacy to continue. Defining our labour market needs and which college programs are aligned to meet employment shortages are decisions that should be made in B.C., reflecting local priorities first.

If achieved, B.C.’s public colleges will be able to keep more programs open to all students and continue to be lifeblood of communities throughout the province who rely on, and hire, our graduates.

Colleges play a key role in the post-secondary sector and are vital to our economy.  Let’s make sure we’re encouraging students – and politicians – to remember that.