Career and Academic Access is celebrating its 6th year of identity as a School within Conestoga College. Though our individual programs and services started before the college system existed (yes, our preparatory programs actually ran through the local school board back in 1963), the start of CAA is a result of my conversation with President John Tibbits back in January 2006.
As the local economy began to take a turn for the worse, President Tibbits acknowledged the value of our academic upgrading and employment services and saw the value in further integration of these programs and services. And thus, the School of Career and Academic Access was born.
As a result of this organizational move, we’ve been able to synergize our resources and communicate our services more fully. We have gained recognition in the college, our community and the province. We provide a front door for people who have traditionally faced barriers to further education and employment. We think we’re in good company when U.S. President Barack Obama, in his January 24, 2012, State of the Union address, affirmed, “Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers…”
Please take a moment to read about the outcomes of our past year in our first Annual Review (pdf). We welcome input as we move forward. We are establishing a School Advisory Committee with a first meeting scheduled for March 22; please let me know if you are interested in participating or have any recommendations.