Career college training completion providers

Overview

When a career college stops operating while students are enrolled in vocational programs, the Training Completion Assurance Fund (TCAF) helps provide eligible students with one of:

• funding to help you complete your training
• a full refund
• a partial refund

The Superintendent of Career Colleges receives and assesses applications from affected students and may provide support to those who are eligible depending on the amount of TCAF funding available.

This page is for information only. It is not a legal document. For further details and the exact wording please refer to the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 and regulations.

Definitions

Approved vocational program

A program that was approved by the Superintendent and is subject to the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005.

Outstanding fee

Vocational program fees that a student still owed for their training when the career college closed.

Prior learning assessment and recognition

The method used by a training completion provider to assess a student's progress in the program for their training completion.

Training completion

Training provided to allow students to complete their approved vocational program when a registered career college has closed.

Training completion provider

An institution, organization or person that will be providing a training completion to students as part of a training completion agreement with the Superintendent. A training completion provider does not need to be a registered career college.

Training completion proposal

The Superintendent of Career Colleges will ask potential training completion providers to submit a proposal outlining how they intend to deliver the training completion. An invitation and instructions will be sent to potential training completion providers when a career college has closed and there are students who require training completion.

The proposal must outline information about:

• the program:
  • curriculum
  • delivery method
  • hours, weeks
  • resources
• accommodation and availability:
  • location of the school
  • number of students
  • available dates for training
• the credential that would be issued through the training completion
• the work placement associated with the training completion:
  • insurance coverage
  • placement hosts and site
• how the provider plans to:
  • assess prior learning
  • engage relevant third-parties in discussions about, for example, prior learning assessment and recognition, applicable regulators or professional associations
• estimates for training and assessment costs per student: tuition, books, equipment, and other fees
• confirmation of the off-site location where the student's transcripts will be maintained

Selection process

The Superintendent of Career Colleges will select training completion providers based on the training completion proposals and determine if a training completion is feasible by considering elements outlined in O. Reg. 414/06 section 40 (2):

1. the person, career college or organization can provide training that is comparable in content and quality to that of the discontinued vocational program
2. the person, career college or organization is reasonably accessible to the former students
3. the person,  career college or organization agrees to provide the training completion on the terms determined by the Superintendent of Career Colleges
4. the cost of the training completion is less than the maximum amount available from the Training Completion Assurance Fund. This amount is calculated according to the regulations (subsection 47 (6) of O. Reg. 414/06.)

The superintendent will also consider whether the training completion provider:

• can effectively administer Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
• is in good standing and meets any compliance obligations
• can issue credentials and maintain transcripts
• can provide the training completion in a timely fashion
• is financially viable

The Superintendent of Career Colleges may provide options to students and let them choose the training completion provider that is most appropriate for them.

Training completion agreement

Once students have decided to continue training, the superintendent and the selected training completion provider establish an agreement. Some terms of the agreement will be negotiable while others will be a condition of approval as a training completion provider.

In general, a training completion agreement will consist of the:

• names of the students who will attend the training completion
• title of the approved vocational program(s) that the students will be completing
• credential that the training completion provider will issue to students upon graduation
• expected start and end dates for the training completion for each student
• amount to be paid to the training completion provider by the ministry
  and
• any outstanding fees students must pay to the training completion provider that have not been covered by the ministry

Payment of outstanding fees

• The general policy is that students will pay any outstanding fees to the training completion provider directly.
• Payments of outstanding fees will be between the student and the training completion provider as per the terms of the training completion agreement and the student contract with the training completion provider.
• The Superintendent of Career Colleges will not be responsible for collecting or dispensing any outstanding fees.

Training completion provider's responsibilities

A complete list of responsibilities will be included in the training completion agreement established with the Superintendent of Career Colleges. A few examples of responsibilities, along with training completion, include:

• prior learning assessment and recognition 
• student transcripts
• student contracts

Prior learning assessment and recognition

The training completion provider must assess a student's previously acquired knowledge, skills, and competencies. The provider is responsible for conducting any prior learning assessment and recognition in accordance with its own policies and procedures as identified in the training completion proposal. A copy of documentation relating to any prior learning assessment and recognition must be maintained in the student file.

Some students may need more training than estimated when the training completion agreement was set-up with the Superintendent of Career Colleges. In this case, revisions to the training completion agreement may be necessary.

Student transcripts

Training completion providers must ensure that students have access to their transcripts for 25 years after they complete a vocational program. Training completion providers must send a student's transcript to an off-site facility, approved by the superintendent, within 90 days of the student leaving the institution.

In addition, a person must be retained by the training completion provider and approved by the Superintendent of Career Colleges to issue those transcripts to students.

See list of approved vendors that keep student transcripts.

Student contracts

With training completion, students are generally not paying fees directly to the training completion provider. However, there are some reasons that a student may still sign an individual contract when they start with the new school or trainer.

For example, if:

• The training completion agreement allows the training completion provider to charge students for any outstanding fees they still owe for their program.
  A student contract must be signed to protect the student. This is allowable under subsection 41(2) of O.reg  414/06.
• There are policies and procedures that the student must follow once they begin their studies with the training completion provider.

Contact

If you have questions contact the ministry:

Career Colleges Branch
Ministry of Colleges and Universities
77 Wellesley Street West, Box 977
Toronto,Ontario
M7A 1N3

• Tel: 416-314-0500
• Toll-free: 1-866-330-3395
•  pcc@ontario.ca