COLD LAKE –
The province’s announcement for outcome-based funding for post-secondary institutions didn’t come as a surprise to Portage College.
“We’ve actually been talking about the formula for a number of years as a sector,” explained Portage College president Nancy Broadbent. “The (education) minister has been really clear from the beginning that they were going to implement performance funding. They’ve been talking about that with us for a little while.”
On Jan. 20, the Government of Alberta introduced the model that will see 15 per cent of funding given to colleges, universities, and polytechnics based on achieving key performance measures starting April 1. Prior to this, the money handed out was based on a historical grant that rarely saw the amount changing.
“Our new approach will help ensure students are set up for success by encouraging institutions to produce job-ready graduates,” explained Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education Demetrios Nicolaides in a press release. “Students make a significant investment in their post-secondary education, and it’s essential we do everything possible to give them a rewarding career at the end of their studies. By shifting the focus to performance, we will ensure taxpayer dollars are being used in the most responsible way possible.”
Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA David Hanson noted the change was a result of the province “looking for an outcome-based model so we can prioritize our funding.”
By the 2021/22 school year, 40 per cent of the funding post-secondary institutions receive from the province will be outcome-based, which Hanson believes will give each facility the chance to adjust to the changes over time.
“I think the timeframe will give those institutions an opportunity to react appropriately to their circumstances.”
The new formula will replace the Campus Alberta Grant, which was money post-secondary institutions received for operating costs to support the delivery of approved credit programs and apprenticeship seats. Out of their $36-million in revenues for the 2019/20 school year, Portage College received roughly $23-million from this program for their Cold Lake, Lac La Biche, St. Paul, and Boyle campuses, and satellite locations in Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Goodfish First Nation, and Frog Lake First Nation.
Broadbent described this model as a “trend in our industry.”
“It’s actually a global phenomenon… A number of states have it already, and there are a number of countries in the world that have performance funding.”
The system will see post-secondary institutions across Alberta receive provincial dollars based on a number of distinct measures. It will be gradually introduced over the next three years, however, the exact criteria aren’t set in stone at this point. They’re expected to be finalized after the province speaks with post-secondary staff, faculty, and students.
Examples of assessments included are enrolment, graduate employment rate, work-integrated learning opportunities, and administrative expense ratio.
“In the case of Portage College, they’ve got some really great programs that when the students graduate, there’s jobs available like in the culinary arts and their nursing programs,” Hanson exclaimed. “Those are all great programs that the students can have a fairly strong assurance that when they’re finished, there will be a job available for them.”
Due to the differences between institutions, the weight of the criteria will vary depending on what’s offered at each school. Since Portage College doesn’t conduct a lot of research projects, Broadbent believes that won’t be a major factor for them.
“Every college is a little bit different,” noted Hanson. “Portage College is very special to our communities, but it’s a totally different model than even the University of Alberta or the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). We just want the institutions to concentrate on programming that results in marketable skills for the students when they’re finished.”
Indigenous enrolment, which is another subject that’s being considered, is a criteria Broadbent said is “near and dear to our hearts.”
“Last year, we had 45 per cent indigenous students and that’s quite rare. I’m glad to see they’re focusing on that,” she continued.
With the changes coming into effect in a few short months, Broadbent stated their goal is to hold onto the amount of provincial funding they’ve received in the past.
“We’re going to have to start looking at where we were historically, and (the province) is going to be pushing for us to grow. We’ve already started to look at tools internally to try and figure that out. For example, if they raise our completion rates over time, what are the programs that are above that target? Which ones are below? We will be working strategically on both of those areas for improvement.”
According to Broadbent, in order to achieve this Portage College will be working with internal stakeholders to determine what is in the best interest of faculty and students moving ahead.
