R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. Survey of Canadian Career College Students Phase II: In-School Student Survey Produced in partnership with: Survey of Canadian Career College Students Phase II: In-School Student Survey Published in 2008 by The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation 1000 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite 800, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 3R2 Toll Free: 1-877-786-3999 Fax: (514) 985-5987 Web: www.millenniumscholarships.ca E-mail: [email protected] National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. Survey Of Canadian Career College Students Phase II: In-School Student Survey This survey was funded by HRSD, Government of Canada and Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. #300, 10621 – 100 Avenue Edmonton AB T5J 0B3 Includes bibliographical references. ISSN 1704-8435 Millennium Research Series (Online) Graphic Design: Charlton + Company Design Group The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), Government of Canada, of Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, or National Association of Career Colleges. Survey of Canadian Career College Students Phase II: In-School Student Survey Produced by: R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. In partnership with: Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation Department of Human Resources and Social Development Canada National Association of Career Colleges March, 2008 Table of Contents Acronyms and Short Forms_______________________________________________i List of Tables _________________________________________________________ii List of Figures _______________________________________________________iii Acknowledgements _____________________________________________________v Executive Summary ___________________________________________________vii 1. Project Background __________________________________________________1 1.1 Project Objectives ________________________________________________________________________________________1 2. Research Methodology________________________________________________3 2.1 Scope of Work ___________________________________________________________________________________________3 2.2 Private Career College Recruitment ________________________________________________________________________3 2.3 Development and Pre-Test of the In-School Student Survey ___________________________________________________5 2.4 In-School Student Survey Administration ___________________________________________________________________5 2.4.1 Survey Coverage____________________________________________________________________________________6 2.4.2 Advantages of In-School Survey Administration ________________________________________________________6 2.4.3 Report Overview ___________________________________________________________________________________7 3. Profile of Students __________________________________________________9 3.1 Overview of Student Characteristics ________________________________________________________________________9 3.2 Student Characteristics ___________________________________________________________________________________9 3.2.1 Demographics _____________________________________________________________________________________9 3.2.2 Citizenship _______________________________________________________________________________________12 3.2.3 Minority Status ___________________________________________________________________________________13 3.2.4 Highest Level of Education _________________________________________________________________________15 3.2.5 Predictors of PSE Participation______________________________________________________________________18 4. Student Pathways to Private Career Colleges ______________________________21 4.1 Are PCCs Students’ First Choice? __________________________________________________________________________21 4.2 Impact of Income on PSE Pathway ________________________________________________________________________22 4.3 Educational Pathways of Private Career College Students ____________________________________________________22 4.4 Barriers to PSE Entry ____________________________________________________________________________________24 5. Private Career College Programming_____________________________________25 5.1 Available Programs ______________________________________________________________________________________25 5.1.1 Program Characteristics____________________________________________________________________________27 5.2 Reasons for Program Selection____________________________________________________________________________29 6. Program Financing __________________________________________________31 6.1 Tuition Costs ___________________________________________________________________________________________31 6.2 Methods of Financing PSE _______________________________________________________________________________32 6.2.1 Employment Status________________________________________________________________________________35 6.3 Government Student Loans: Awareness and Access _________________________________________________________38 6.4 Predictors of Student Debt _______________________________________________________________________________40 6.5 Funding Non-Recipients _________________________________________________________________________________40 7. Student Debt ______________________________________________________43 7.1 Incoming Debt Load ____________________________________________________________________________________43 7.2 Anticipated Debt________________________________________________________________________________________46 7.3 Perceptions of Debt _____________________________________________________________________________________47 7.4 Program Debt Load and Impact on Future PSE Decisions ____________________________________________________48 8. Satisfaction with Program/Institution ___________________________________49 9. Post-Program Career ________________________________________________51 9.1 Anticipated Program Outcomes___________________________________________________________________________51 9.2 Student Profiles by Program ______________________________________________________________________________52 9.3 Student Profiles by Minority Status ________________________________________________________________________54 10. Conclusions________________________________________________________57 Appendix A: Participating Institutions______________________________________59 Appendix B: Survey Instrument ___________________________________________65 i Acronyms and Short Forms Alphabetical by Acronym/Short Form AB Alberta BC British Columbia CATI Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing CMSF Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation CSLP Canada Student Loan Program DASH Data Analysis Software Handling ESL English as a Second Language HRSDC Human Resources and Social Development Canada MB Manitoba NACC National Association of Career Colleges NB New Brunswick NL Newfoundland and Labrador NS Nova Scotia NT North West Territories NU Nunavut ON Ontario PCC Private Career College PE Prince Edward Island PSE Post-Secondary Education PTI Private Post-Secondary Training Institutions QC Quebec SCCCS Survey of Canadian Career College Students SK Saskatchewan YT Yukon ii List of Tables Table 2-1: Outcome of Contacts with Private Career Colleges ________________________________________________________4 Table 2-2: Distribution of Institutions & Survey Completions by Province _____________________________________________6 Table 3-5b: Proportion of Sample Defined as Low Income___________________________________________________________12 Table 3-7: Country of Birth _____________________________________________________________________________________12 Table 3-8: Immigration to Canada_______________________________________________________________________________13 Table 3-13: Highest Level of Education Prior to Program Start _______________________________________________________15 Table 3-14: Highest Level of Education by Program and Region ______________________________________________________16 Table 3-17: Average Percentage Grade (High School & Post-Secondary School) ________________________________________18 Table 3-18: Highest Level of Education of Mother and Father ________________________________________________________18 Table 3-19: Parents’ Level of Education by Region __________________________________________________________________19 Table 3-20: Type of Institution Attended for Mother and Father ______________________________________________________19 Table 4-2: Time of Entry into Post-Secondary Education ___________________________________________________________22 Table 4-4: Barriers to Pursing Post-Secondary School Education Immediately after High School Completion _________________________________________________________________________________________24 Table 5-2: Student Enrolment in Programs Offered at Private Career Colleges ________________________________________26 Table 5-4a: Program Length by Program Type______________________________________________________________________27 Table 5-4b: Program Length by Region ____________________________________________________________________________28 Table 5-6: Main Reason for Pursuing Post-Secondary Education ____________________________________________________29 Table 5-7: Top Three Reasons for Attending Specific Private Career College __________________________________________30