The Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) is the national and international voice through which Canada’s colleges and institutes inform and advise various levels of government, business, industry and labour. The successful integration of immigrants into the Canadian economy and communities is a federal government priority that was reaffirmed in the government’s last Speech from the Throne. As part of the Government of Canada’s initiative to develop an Immigration Internet Portal, ACCC has received financial support from the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) to conduct a diagnostic survey of the capacity of Canadian colleges and institutes to provide programs and services for immigrants, to organize a College and Institute Immigration Roundtable, and to develop a section of the ACCC website that profiles the programs and services immigrants can access at colleges and institutes.
Canadian colleges and institutes are well-positioned to respond to the needs of immigrants given the role of these institutions in providing learning opportunities for 900 communities across the country. Colleges and institutes have demonstrated leadership in increasing access, effectiveness and efficiency through the application of prior learning assessment and recognition principles and practices. We know that colleges and institutes have a strong mandate for and extensive experience in working with disadvantaged individuals. This funding from HRSDC has enabled ACCC to begin the process of assessing more specifically colleges’ and institutes’ capacity to serve Canada’s immigrant population.
The diagnostic survey involved sending a questionnaire to the 150 ACCC member colleges and institutes and conducting interviews with a sample group of 20 colleges and institutes located in a mix of large and small urban centres, and some serving more rural communities. Copies of the survey and interview questionnaires are provided in Appendix 1, along with a list of the colleges and institutes that participated in interviews. The purpose of this diagnostic was to help identify the types of institution-based and on-line services and programs colleges and institutes are currently or planning to offer specifically for immigrants so that ACCC can develop a section of the ACCC website that profiles the types of programs and services immigrants can access through colleges and institutes. The ACCC website will then be linked to the Government of Canada Immigration Internet Portal.
Of the 150 ACCC member colleges and institutes, 46 participated in the diagnostic either by responding to the survey or participating in interviews, for an overall response rate of 31 percent. The results of this diagnostic give us a clearer picture of how and where colleges and institutes are offering programs and services to immigrants, and confirms that there are pockets of activity and varying degrees of programs and services offered, depending on if colleges/institutes are located in high or low settlement areas. It is interesting to note that colleges and institutes, whether they are located in high or low settlement areas, are strategic partners in municipal and provincial immigrant settlement initiatives. Most colleges have relationships and partnerships with community settlement organizations, municipal and provincial governments, and even private sector firms involved in facilitating the integration of immigrants.
The diagnostic survey concluded with the preparation of a background report that was used as a working document for the College and Institute Immigration Roundtable that took place on March 8th and 9th, 2004. The roundtable included representatives from the senior ranks of colleges and institutes with experience in the area of immigration, as well as representatives from HRSDC, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and The Maytree Foundation. The objectives of the roundtable were to: