The increase in the number of students enrolled in college this fall is “the most significant in a quarter of a century,” the Fédération des cégeps said Friday.
And it’s only just begun, warns the federation’s new president and CEO Marie Montpetit.
“This is very good news. It’s the biggest increase in CEGEP registrations in the last 25 years. But this is only the beginning of the curve because we expect a possible 20 per cent increase over the next 10 years,” she said in an interview.
According to preliminary data, 184,709 students are registered in one of the 48 CEGEPs in Quebec.
This can be explained by the population increase, but Montpetit also suggests that unemployment is on the rise among young people aged 15 to 24 – which could encourage them to continue their studies.
Approximately 45 per cent of students are enrolled in pre-university education, while 49 per cent are enrolled in technical education.
The remainder are in the DEC/DCS springboard path, which provides training to enable students to enter or complete a program.
Some regions are experiencing a more marked increase; Chaudière-Appalaches (+8.7 per cent), Lanaudière (+10 per cent) and Mauricie (+9.2 per cent).
“A lot of effort has been made by certain regions to attract young people from their region to college studies, in certain cases to meet the economic needs of the region,” explained Montpetit.
In the technical sector, the most popular programs were Administration and Management Techniques, as well as Nursing.
In the pre-university sector, the most popular programs are Humanities and Natural Sciences.
However, CEGEP buildings need renovations and expansions. A report by the Auditor General last spring revealed that two-thirds of college buildings were in poor condition.
“It’s a dual challenge: there’s the maintenance of the college network’s buildings, which are all a little over 50 years old, and there’s also the addition of space to enable the CEGEPs to welcome all these students who are arriving and who will be arriving, for the next few years,” noted Montpetit.
Like the entire education system, colleges also need staff.
“It will be part of the challenges in the coming years to have enough staff and to be attractive enough to bring teachers to CEGEPs, to meet this demand,” concluded Montpetit.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews