Auditor General Pushes the Ministry and Colleges to Improve Management of Technical Education

The Auditor General of Quebec recently conducted an audit of college-level technical education to determine whether mechanisms are in place to ensure that program offerings respond to labour market needs and are of quality. On both counts, the audit of the Ministry and four colleges – Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy, Cégep de Matane, Cégep de Thetford and Collège de Maisonneuve – found serious shortcomings.

As a result, the Auditor General has made a number of recommendations to the Ministry and audited colleges, including that they: 1) have relevant data on the current and future labour market needs so that technical program offerings match those needs; 2) inform students so that they have sufficient, clear and up-to-date information on technical training programs and job prospects; 3) develop and revise technical training programs in a timely manner so that they meet job requirements; and 4) ensure that they have an overview of technical training program quality and that they make adjustments as needed.

The Ministry is already responding to these recommendations and plans to complete revisions of technical programs within 18 months, from the analysis of industry needs to the Minister’s approval. Dawson can expect more program revisions in the next few years.

To read the highlights and recommendations of the report (chapter 2) in English, click here.

To read the full report and recommendations (chapter 2) in French, click here.