BARTZ: Pathway to economic growth without spending a provincial dollar

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Ontario’s budget process sets more than just spending priorities — it defines the government’s approach to solving significant challenges. While funding plays a role, smart and targeted policy can drive change without increasing costs.

Labour shortages in health care and the skilled trades continue to strain the province. Hospitals struggle to staff essential roles. Housing construction lags behind demand. Although training investments help, Ontario can make immediate progress through practical reforms that unlock existing capacity.

One clear opportunity lies in expanding the role of career colleges. Career colleges in Ontario already deliver job-focused training in personal support work, early childhood education, and hairstyling. However, outdated rules limit how much they can contribute — not because of quality or demand but because of policy barriers.

In British Columbia, for instance, Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) can complete their training at career colleges — a model that helps meet frontline health care needs. Ontario, in contrast, allows only public institutions to offer RPN training. Yet the College of Nurses of Ontario accepts RPN credentials from private institutions in other provinces, allowing those graduates to practise in Ontario. If the province trusts their credentials, it should also trust its own regulated institutions to provide that same training. Letting career colleges train RPNs would quickly expand Ontario’s health-care workforce.

The same logic applies to skilled trades. Right now, career colleges can’t apply for Training Delivery Agent (TDA) status to deliver training in some of the 144 different skilled trades recognized in Ontario. This restriction prevents them from training the next generation of skilled trades workers.

By lifting this barrier, Ontario can rapidly expand the pipeline of skilled workers where they’re needed most. Ontario must also update the system that governs career colleges to support these changes.

The Ontario Career Colleges Act hasn’t evolved alongside the labour market. The province must modernize the act to reduce red tape, speed up program approvals and ensure training stays aligned with real-time job market needs — all while preserving strong oversight. These reforms will allow colleges to respond to employer demands without lowering quality standards.

Expanding training access also requires a reliable supply of learners. International students represent a ready and motivated group that Ontario has largely overlooked. Fewer than 1% of international study permits go to career college students — even though these institutions often train newcomers for roles in health care, trades and technology.

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Ontario can better use this resource by aligning study permits with sectors facing the greatest shortages. Career colleges have already trained thousands of international students to become personal support workers and early childhood educators — fields critical to Ontario’s aging population and growing families. The province can responsibly integrate international students into its workforce strategy with stronger oversight and a targeted approach.

Career colleges have already helped build Ontario’s workforce. They produce job-ready graduates, fill gaps in essential services and respond quickly to shifting industry needs. But outdated rules hold them back. The province doesn’t need to spend more — it needs to act smarter.

As Ontario finalizes its upcoming budget, the government has a chance to make high-impact, low-cost reforms. Ontario can ease staffing shortages and strengthen its economy by updating the Ontario Career Colleges Act, opening skilled trades and health-care training to career colleges and aligning international student policy with labour demand.

Unlocking the full potential of career colleges doesn’t require new funding. It requires forward-thinking policy — and the will to act.

— Kate Bartz is the executive director of Career Colleges Ontario. Please visit careercollegesontario.ca for more information