How We Measure Student Success at our Career College l ACA

Measuring Graduate Success

How many students successfully graduate from Algonquin Careers Academy? Do graduates find jobs and are these jobs related to their training? How many students pay back their student loans?

Since 2013, Ontario’s private career colleges – or PCCs – have worked with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and its partners to gather data to answer these questions. The data is used to develop measurable values called key performance indicators – or KPIs.

KPIs show how graduates have fared after graduating from PCC vocational programs. They help future students make more informed decisions about their postsecondary education and help institutions identify areas of strength and weakness and opportunities for improvement.

The KPI Process

Under the authority of the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005, the Superintendent of Private Career Colleges issued a policy directive setting out five PCC KPIs:

• Graduation Rate

• Graduate Employment Rate

• Graduate Employment Rate in Field of Study

• Graduate Satisfaction Rate

• Employer Satisfaction Rate

Graduation rate is calculated from audited data submitted by PCCs three times per year. The other four KPIs are calculated from surveys taken by graduates and their employers. The ministry also calculates Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) loan default rates for PCCs approved to accept OSAP-assisted students, which are also considered a performance indicator for the sector.

An OSAP loan has specific repayment terms and conditions. If the borrower does not follow these provisions (e.g., they miss multiple payments), their loan will go into default. When a loan goes into default, the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) submits a claim to the Province of Ontario and/or Government of Canada. Submitted default claims are paid by the provincial and federal government. The loan is then turned over to a collection agency.