THE CEGEPS IN QUEBEC:

Mobility, Pathways and

Transferability

World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics

World Congres 2012- Halifax – May 29

Cegeps in the Educational System in Québec

Cegeps in the Educational System in Québec

CEGEPS IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN QUÉBEC

Cegep : An accessible network

CCollège d’EEnseignement GGénéral et PProfessionnel

CEGEPS IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN QUÉBEC

First level of higher education

C.E.G.E.P.

Trades Technical Professional

JOB MARKETJOB MARKET

University

Technical(3 years)

Vocational training

Doctorate(2-4 years)

Master’s(2 years)

Bachelor’s(3-4 years)

Pre-university(2 years)

Secondary(5 years)

CEGEPS IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN QUÉBEC

Education in Québec

Elementary(6 years)

Cegep

8 Pre-university programs

138 Higher Technical programs

In all major branches of science, social studies, arts and literature

In all principal sectors of the job market

Variety of programs

• Represents its college members internationally

• Fosters partnerships between its members and foreign institutions

• Makes its member’s expertise available to international partners

• Represents its college members internationally

• Fosters partnerships between its members and foreign institutions

• Makes its member’s expertise available to international partners

Promotes college expertise on the world scene

Promotes college expertise on the world scene

CEGEPS IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN QUÉBEC

Cégep international

Student’s mobility Student’s mobility

Ministerial strategy for Ministerial strategy for internationalization of educationinternationalization of education

Student’s mobility

NUMBER OF CEGEPS / GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS

PRIVILEDGED GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS

WESTERN EUROPE

CENTRAL AMERICA

SOUTH AMERICA

AFRICA AND INDIAN OCEAN

MEXICO

UNITED STATES

ASIA

MIDDLE EAST

EASTERN EUROPE

Obstacles-Student’s mobility

• Languages• Paid jobs for the students• Duration of studies from 2

to 3 years• Non-recognition of

courses taken abroad• Less bridge programs

(cegep-university)

Challenges-Student’s mobility

• Actually, the majority of student’s mobility projects are in France and French speaking African countries.

• The main challenge is to diversify the countries where we are doing mobility projects (China, India, Mexico, Brazil, etc.)

• We will have to find solutions to the language barriers

• We will have to develop more partnership agreements with those countries in order to look at the credential recognition for students.

Pathways Pathways

Pathways

• The pathways between levels of studies is a concern of long time in Quebec; – Example: Creation of the ÉTS: Specialized in

the teaching and the industrial research in ingineering and technology transfer, it trains engineers and researchers recognized for their practical and innovating approach;

– It is the only school of engineering in Quebec which offers programmes of baccalaureat in engineering created specifically for the graduates of technical collegial level wishing to obtain a university degree.

Pathways

• DEC/BAC agreements– Agreements between Universities and

colleges to link a technical program with a program of baccalaureat in the same field of studies;

– Usually, the university recognizes assets of the collegial program for the equivalency of one academic year. That allows students to obtain, generally into four or five years of studies, a double diploma.

Pathways

• DEC/BAC agreements example

– Integrated DEC/BAC program in nursing: the only agreement in DEC/BAC formula with a network approach;

– 9 Universities and 42 colleges participate into the consortium.

CHALLENGES

• Since education is a provincial jurisdiction, we have 13 ministries of education, which complicates the paths between the provinces and between Canada and other countries. ACCC is playing an important role to develop international agreements for all the colleges;

• Agreements paths must be one institution to another, which is intensifying its activities;

• We must pay attention to make our programs as flexible as possible to allow for greater mobility, both incoming and outgoing, for students, while continuing to assure quality control of the programs.

Transferability Transferability

Main concerns- Transferability

• In several countries, senior technical programs are linked to universities, which sometimes facilitates their recognition;

• Need for more recognition of the DCS as higher technical diploma, leading to the title of Professional Technologist and his equivalence internationally.

Transferabillity- Initiatives

• The College of Technologists of Quebec signed in Paris last June, an initial agreement on recognition of professional qualifications as part of the France-Québec Agreement for greater mobility of labor across international.

Transferabillity- Initiatives

• The Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) means that the Ministry of Higher Education and Research of France ruled that the first three programs in Quebec analyzed and compared by France are broadly equivalent to seven degrees from the University Institutes of Technology (IUT) and high schools (Patent higher Technician).

Transferabillity- Initiatives

• Work continues to compare all programs of Quebec leading to permits delivered by the College of technologists and all programs from France related to technologies eligible to the College of Technologists;

• It is an important progress in the development of pathways of learning programs between France and Quebec and it is an important model to develop such pathways with other countries.

Examples of initiatives in Europe

Examples of initiatives in Europe

The Bologna Process

• The Bologna Process, launched with the Bologna Declaration, of 1999, is one of the main voluntary processes at European level, as it is nowadays implemented in 47 states, which define the European Higher Education Area (EHEA);

•   The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) acts as a translation device to make national qualifications more readable across Europe, promoting workers' and learners' mobility between countries and facilitating their lifelong learning

And what about Québec and Canada?

And what about Québec and Canada?

Initiatives

• There are currently various discussions held, both Canadian and Quebec levels:

Canadian Initiative for International Marketing of Education;Advice of the Supreme Council of Education of Quebec on the internationalization of colleges;Interdepartmental Committee (Quebec) on the recruitment of foreign students

CHALLENGES

• Classifications of educational programs and recognition of degrees are being harmonized at different levels, worldwide;

• Several institutions are developing a formal articulation between two countries programs that allow students to walk with less obstacles between the two countries.

CHALLENGES

• Quebec faces a shortage of qualified technical manpower;

• Employers need workers with international and intercultural skills to thrive in a world increasingly globalized;

• CEGEPs are able to adequately address these two realities

CHALLENGES

• How can we insert positively in this process?

• How can we ensure that our technical programs allow greater mobility between students from different provinces and between students from Quebec, Canada and other countries?

• Quebec CEGEPs are interested in continuing to explore various avenues to improve mobility both incoming as outgoing students;

• Cégep international continues to listen to any suggestions and recommendations at this level.

MerciThank you

World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics

World Congres 2012- Halifax – May 29