National Association of Career Colleges CEO Michael Sangster is calling for an end to “political mud-slinging,” as he argues that private colleges are not to be blamed for the affordability crisis or boom in international students. “Of the 599,355 international study permit applications approved or extended by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada […] in 2023,” writes Sangster, “just 4.4 per cent were for regulated career colleges who are members of the industry association I lead.” The author adds that leadership at many career colleges support the Government of Canada’s recent efforts to stabilize the international student program and welcome opportunities to collaborate with provinces on designing more innovative training solutions to fill critical labour gaps.
