As most people probably know by now, Colleges Ontario (representing college management) and the OPSEU union representing 8,000 college support staff have been negotiating this weekend. It is hoped negotiations will result in a resolution to the contract dispute that resulted in a work stoppage on September 1st.
There have been many issues raised during the strike which is affecting all colleges in communities across Ontario. Despite all the coverage in the media about the strike, there still appears to be a lack of understanding about our roles in supporting students and faculty. A lack of understanding of our roles and how the skills we use everyday contribute significantly to the success of Ontario’s colleges. Colleges aim to produce knowledgeable and well-skilled graduates. Well, we are valuable resources throughout the colleges that support faculty in curriculum delivery and student success.
There has been much discussion in recent years about the shift in Canada to a knowledge-based economy. The rhetoric has stressed the importance of having the right programs offered at our colleges. The goal is to make sure job seekers are appropriately qualified for the labour market as it exists today and are prepared for the shifting trends we are seeing for tomorrow.
In recent years, Ontario has even developed financing projects to assist Colleges among other areas to be able to “…support business innovation by providing them with state-of-the-art, industry-relevant research infrastructure to foster partnerships with the private sector in a specific area of institutional strategic priority” (June 2011).
A knowledge-based economy requires top notch learning institutions with faculty who have relevant industry experience, state of the art technology and state of the art buildings. We wholeheartedly acknowledge the importance of great faculty, technology and buildings. What we hope Colleges Ontario and the college presidents understand is that to run top notch institutions, colleges also require well-educated and skilled support staff. Support staff are the individuals who ensure faculty have the resources they need, the technology is supported and the buildings are operational. Support staff ensure students have the resources they need to complete program requirements whether it be financial aid for tuition, tutoring for coursework, accommodations for their disability support, mental health support, an outlet for physical activity to maintain a healthy lifestyle or strategies for their job search when they graduate. In short, we are instrumental in ensuring that colleges are able to contribute to a knowledge-based economy.
As we look to the future and our ever growing knowledge-based economy, college management needs to consider the importance of the resources support staff provide to faculty and students. How can colleges continue to support a knowledge-based economy without ensuring the staff providing support to both faculty and students are themselves educated and skilled? Finally, consider how colleges can ensure they continue to recruit educated and skilled support staff. The answer – ensure individuals in support staff positions have good wages and good benefits.
Authors of this blog
OPSEU College Support Staff
*Source: Ministry of Research and Innovation.
Supporting OPSEU College Support Staff 