December 2011
64 posts
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Next year's graduates face tough job market
College and university students graduating next year will face the same stagnant hiring conditions this year’s graduates had to deal with, according to a new report.
The Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers said most of the job-providing organizations they’ve surveyed have no plans to increase hiring in the coming months.
What’s more, students might...
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Government of Canada Makes Education More...
Today, the Government of Canada announced a new measure to improve access to post-secondary education. Beginning January 1, 2012 new and existing loans for part-time students will be interest-free during study. Dr. Kellie Leitch, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, made the announcement today at the University of Toronto, on behalf of the...
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Shortchanging immigrants costs Canada
In her home city of São Paulo, Brazil, Yane Brogiollo was a manager at Hewlett-Packard Co., where she oversaw a team of 15 database professionals. She also designed and taught courses for a local university’s MBA program.
They were “wonderful” jobs, and she earned a good salary. São Paolo was crowded, though, and too big. Crime was escalating. So a year and a half ago, she moved to...
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uMontréal to open public health campus downtown
Montreal’s defunct Voyageur bus station will become the city’s new public health axis, which will house the Université de Montréal’s new school of public health. The new facility will bring all of uMontréal’s medical facilities into one place. The university’s public health department is currently a “virtual” school with students spread over 6 ...
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Mount Allison's Memorial Library "victim of...
The Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) is decrying the loss of Mount Allison University’s historic Memorial Library, which is on the foundation’s 2011 Top Ten Endangered Places list. Mount Allison is tearing down the library to make way for a new $30-million fine and performing arts centre. Calling the library a “victim of academic indifference,” the HCF says the...
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Immigrant employment and income gaps persisting in...
Despite higher education levels, Canadian immigrants face higher unemployment rates and lower incomes than domestic-born workers, according to a new report from RBC Economics. The report estimates that the potential increased incomes for immigrants if observable skills were rewarded similarly to domestic-born workers is $30.7 billion, or 2.1% of GDP in 2006. The findings suggest that gaps...
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Rising tuition fees force students into sex work,...
The National Union of Students has claimed more students are turning to jobs in the sex industry to pay for their education.
Some students are taking on “dangerous” work to cope with the cost of going to university, with fees up to £9,000 from next year, it was claimed.
The NUS said others were turning to gambling or taking part in medical experiments to earn money.
Speaking...
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In India, Caste Discrimination Still Plagues...
In February, 20-year-old Manish Kumar climbed to the roof of a five-story building at the elite Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee and jumped to his death. The engineering major was a member of India’s underclass, formerly known as “untouchables.” And that, says his father, was what drove him to commit suicide.
From the day he set foot on campus, “his...
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Physical activity declines in post-secondary...
After young people leave home to hit the books at university or college, they don’t appear to be hitting the gym — or getting other forms of exercise — as often.
Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton followed 683 Canadian adolescents starting when they were between the ages of 12 and 15, until they were 24 to 27 years of age.
The young people were interviewed...
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The Co-operators Provides $75,000 to Fund Student...
The Co-operators Provides $75,000 to Fund Student Sustainability Projects
Students across Canada are showing their campuses and their communities that change begins on the local level when it comes to sustainability. Eighteen student leaders participating in IMPACT! The Co-operators Youth Program for Sustainability Leadership have received a total of $75,000 in funding to support a...
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Recruiting international students crucial to...
Carleton University will be left in the dust if it doesn’t take bold steps to attract more international students at a time of declining domestic enrolment, a senior executive says.
Peter Ricketts, the school’s provost and academic vice-president, made the comments in response to a decision not to partner with a private company to recruit international students and provide them with their...
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U of S asks province for funding increase
School seeks additional $60 million
The University of Saskatchewan is asking the provincial government for an additional $60 million next year to cover its increasing operating costs and a backlog of maintenance for its aging infrastructure.
The U of S estimates it needs another $60 million in provincial funding to cover its forecasted $463.3 million operating budget in 2012-13, according...
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On One Campus, Students Find Funds for Peers in...
Jarquisha Hollings can count on generous financial aid at Emory University, but it doesn’t cover everything, especially when life takes unexpected turns. Her mother and stepfather have both been out of work and recently lost their home. She reached a point this semester, she says, where the balance of her meal plan was $0.
Close friends bought meals for Ms. Hollings, a junior:...
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Occupy SFU targets high cost of education
The Occupy movement has spread to Simon Fraser University, with a dozen students working to create an “open university” at the Burnaby campus.
“We’re trying to democratize education,” said SFU communications student Joseph Leivdal, a Burnaby resident and one of the organizers.
The group is identifying with the Occupy movement, a global wave of protests...
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McGill faculty question legitimacy of...
In advance of today’s release of a report on an investigation into an on-campus standoff between protesting McGill University students and riot police, a group of faculty members have presented to the board of governors a petition that questions the legitimacy of the investigation. The fact that the head of the probe — McGill’s law dean — is a member of the ...
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UBC overhauls teacher ed program
The ever-evolving role of educators and the increasing concern over job shortages for new teachers prompted the revision of the University of British Columbia’s one-year Teacher Education Program, which includes new mandatory classes on Aboriginal perspectives, teaching English as an additional language, teaching French in elementary school, special education, and research and inquiry...
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Labour market remains flat for PSE grads, CACEE...
According to the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers’ 2011 Campus Recruitment and Benchmark Survey Report, college and university students graduating in 2012 will face the same flat labour market as their peers from 2011, with hiring rates virtually frozen. The report observes that graduates will have difficulty connecting with employers who are hiring as campus...
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Wheels in motion for bike lane to campus
Cycling students will have an additional route to Mount Royal University with the introduction of what one alderman has dubbed a “freebie” bike lane on 50 Avenue. When alderman Brian Pincott was approached more than two years ago about redeveloping an ATCO site near the university campus, he said he requested a bike lane be incorporated into plans. This lane will stretch from the 50...
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US launches new program to recruit more women from...
The US Department of State is collaborating with 36 American women’s colleges to operate the NeXXt Scholars Program, which will recruit female students from Muslim-majority countries who are interested in the STEM fields to US women’s colleges. The new program will pair each undergraduate scholar with a female scientist as a mentor. The students will also receive a 5-year...
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Indigenous youth share thoughts on university...
On Monday, Canadian universities welcomed the opportunity to hear directly from Indigenous secondary school students across the country about their views on university education and their goals for the future. Hosted from Mount Saint Vincent University, “Conversation with Indigenous Youth” was an online dialogue in which Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn A-in-chut...
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Campus Freedom Index measures state of free speech...
Developed by the Calgary-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, the 2011 Campus Freedom Index measures the commitment of 18 Canadian public universities, as well as their student unions, to uphold the right of students to express their beliefs, opinions, and philosophy on campus in a peaceful manner. The index assigns rankings in 4 categories: university policies and principles;...
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National Youth Survey Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Background
In 2008, Elections Canada implemented a five-year Strategic Plan 2008–2013, which identified youth engagement as one of three strategic objectives. The National Youth Survey was commissioned to provide research findings to allow Elections Canada to better target and tailor its outreach activities and educational initiatives to Canadian youth aged 18 to 34. The study...
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CAUT members oppose NS government's review process...
In a letter to Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, the Canadian Association of University Teachers states that at its recent council meeting, delegates were informed of “troubling developments” involving NSCAD University. A member of CAUT, NSCAD’s faculty union brought forward a resolution that was unanimously supported that opposes the process by which the Nova Scotia...
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This degree is practically a job guarantee
And Saskatchewan may give you $20,000
For students who want a guaranteed job after graduation, nothing comes closer than nursing in Saskatchewan. According to the Regina Leader-Post, the government has hired 900 nurses since 2008, but could need as many as 2,000 more in the next two years if those set to retire do so as planned. There were already 449 nursing jobs being advertised in the ...
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Employment declines among Canadian youth
According to Statistics Canada’s latest Labour Force Survey, employment fell last month among young people aged 15 to 24 (-18,000). However, compared to one year earlier, youth employment was up 1.3%. 15- to 24-year-olds in Newfoundland and Labrador made the most gains last month with a 0.8 percentage point increase in their employment rate, while Alberta recorded the highest youth...
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CASA concludes advocacy week
The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations held over 120 meetings with officials in Ottawa on student issues
Last week, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) conducted over 120 meetings with members of Parliament, senators and bureaucrats on various topics pertinent to students. Discussion focused on four particular areas of concern: the Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP) and...
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Federal government lacks post-secondary vision:...
Post-secondary education a priority in NL, but not in Ottawa
…Jessica McCormick, Newfoundland and Labrador chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS-NL), and Michael Walsh, Director of External Affairs on the MUN Students’ Union (MUNSU), represented this province in week-long meetings with Members of Parliament (MPs) and Senators to discuss high-quality and accessible...
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Student groups to lead violence-prevention...
Federal funding won’t be available to faculty, administrations.
Postsecondary students have welcomed a new proposal by the federal government to fund student-led initiatives that seek to prevent violence against women on university and college campuses, although it isn’t clear which projects will qualify for the funds. Minister for Status of Women Rona Ambrose made the announcement at the...
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High court wades into key copyright issues
The rights of copyright holders to get paid when consumers preview music on iTunes, download video games with music, or read photocopies of textbook excerpts are before Canada’s top court this week in unprecedented hearings on copyright issues.
Five separate appeals, dealing broadly with the concept of “fair dealing” of copyrighted material or the meaning of a...
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Copyright on Supreme Court's agenda this week
For most of the past hundred years, the Supreme Court of Canada heard the occasional copyright case with significant cases popping up once every 10 or 20 years. That started to change in 2001 with a big case reaching Canada’s top court every year or two. While that seemed like a busy schedule, it is nothing compared to the coming week, where the court will hear an unprecedented five...
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Study calls for better communication tools for...
A new study on the barriers faced by students from northern and rural Alberta communities found that more than 94% of students surveyed have researched PSE institutions or programs with the intention of improving their knowledge and skills, with the Internet being the most popular source for locating information. However, the majority of respondents believed they were not provided with...
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BC launches $10-million Labour Market Sector...
The BC government announced Monday it is making $10 million in skills-training funding available to provincial sector and industry groups over 3 years to allow them to play a leading role in creating new training programs to help meet labour market needs. Under the Labour Market Sector Solutions Initiative, the province is seeking funding proposals for training programs designed to meet...
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Student aid, degree granting legislation subject...
In its throne speech Monday, the Saskatchewan government outlined plans to introduce a new Saskatchewan Advantage Scholarship available to all new secondary school graduates beginning in 2012, as well as a new Saskatchewan Advantage Grant for Education Savings to help parents save for their children’s education. The throne speech notes that up to $120,000 in student loans for new...
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The high cost of part-time study
Don’t be fooled - it is not always a wise choice for undergrads.
From college town to urban campus, you see them night and day. They are serving coffee, waiting tables and stocking shelves. They will check your gym membership when you stand before them in sweats; they will decline your credit card at the supermarket, and you will wonder whether they laugh at you behind your back.
They are...
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