Students competing fiercely with the laid off
As mature students flood unis, schools say they will not give priority to Grade 12 applicants
Ontario’s graduating high school students are facing stiffer competition for high-demand, high-employment college and university programs as workers who lost their jobs in the recession head back to school and claim the country’s coveted post-secondary education spots.
Colleges and universities will not give special priority to the Grade 12 candidates, administrators say, despite the fact they could be thrown out into a tough, recessionary job market with little or no work experience, and only a high school education if they’re not accepted. The deadline for Grade 12 students to apply to Ontario’s universities for next September is Wednesday; for colleges it is Feb. 1.
College applications overall were up by 10 per cent over the last several years, with those in areas with a high jobless rate experiencing increases of up to 50 per cent. The recession’s ravaging of the job market is pushing laid-off workers back to school and a wildly popular Ontario government program has provided many unemployed mature students with the financial means to do so.
In northern Ontario, for example, where the forestry industry’s collapse was followed by one in mining, Northern College saw applications for its four campuses jump 47 per cent last year. And that’s even before Extrada’s planned layoff of 700 people this May. In Windsor, where auto sector layoffs have battered the city, applications to St. Clair College were up by 20 per cent in 2009.
“When the economy is strong, students tend to put off going to school, going to college particularly, in favour of entering the workforce and earning some money,” said Northern College president Fred Gibbons. “When the economy turns soft as it has in 2009, students will then return to school or elect to leave high school and enter college . . . College enrolment tends to vary inversely with jobs in the economy.”
The Ontario government’s Second Career program, which provides laid off workers with up to $28,000 a year to go back to school to train for high-demand jobs, has been a huge incentive for mature students. Second Career was announced in 2008 as a $355-million, three-year program. However, it was so popular that the money was scooped up in 18 months as laid off workers headed back to school and the province pumped another $78 million into the program last October.
It’s a difficult situation all around, and I can see cause for concern for all parties. However, as a 30+ studying fulltime at University, I am glad I was accepted before this large influx, as my program (English) is becoming quite popular amongst younger students unsure of an area of concentration.
We’ll see what my graduating year holds in terms of job opportunites. Maybe a Master’s if things are still bad “out there.” Hey, perhaps I’ll even end up standing in the UI line, fanning myself with my diplomas.
I believe that mature students should be given priority in PSE admissions. As a 19 year old, I know that it is easier for me to put my life on hold for a year than it is for a person who has a family and needs to become financially stable as soon as possible. Basic math says that it is easier for a single person to live off of poor paying jobs than it is for a person with dependants.
The university I go to has cut all in-course scholarships for those who have 80% and above averages. This upset me because 1) they didn’t notify the students of this (trying to hide this horrible thing), 2) the scholarship program for those coming directly from high school is still alive, and 3) I’m a mature student who has worked hard to achieve a 89% average
Jess:
3) I’m a mature student who has worked hard to achieve a 89% average
3) I’m a mature student who has worked hard to achieve an* 89% average
So much for an 89% average.