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2019-20 In-year Developments

New federal landscape

In October, the Liberal party was re-elected with a minority government in the Canadian general election. The election also brought four new MPs to our local areas.

Ontario

At mid-year the Ontario government made organization changes to our home ministry, renaming it the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) while transferring the training and skills development areas to a newly named Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (MLTSD).

The Ontario government announced that colleges will be allowed to offer four-year nursing degrees outside of collaborative relationships with universities and Seneca has started the process of applying for its own degree.

Seneca works diligently with the government to help advance student success and the college sector. Initiatives undertaken this year include:

  • interactions with elected officials and public servants to gain understanding about government priorities in the areas of funding, accountability, the next phases of the Strategic Mandate Agreement, job creation and business development
  • informing advocacy efforts, facilitated by Colleges Ontario
  • tours by the Premier, minister and MPPs of the teaching and learning spaces at Seneca’s Newnham, King and Peterborough campuses, designed to build understanding of Seneca’s priorities, programs and impacts.

Launch of Seneca Downtown and the Centre for Graduate and Professional Studies:

In September, Seneca opened Seneca Downtown, a campus located in the heart of Toronto’s financial district. It is a key delivery location for the also newly launched Centre for Graduate and Professional Studies, where flexible learning formats are used to enable students to study while they continue to work. Seneca Downtown demonstrates Seneca’s ability to continuously offer diverse learning options to match the changing needs of both students and the market. Credentials offered include:

  • two graduate certificates: Financial Technology and Cybersecurity & Threat Management
  • professional accreditation courses and programs, including industry-recognized licensing and designation courses/programs such as Stock Market Investing course, Canadian Investment Funds course, PMP Exam Prep course and Anti-Money Laundering course