Registered Career Colleges (RCCs) offer industry-leading training in some of the most in-demand sectors of the Canadian economy. Every year, we graduate thousands of skilled tradespeople to enter the construction industry and build the homes Canadians desperately need. We train Personal Support Workers, rapidly deploying them to meet the rising demand for their services as our population ages. (Even during the pandemic, RCCs were able to graduate 18,000 PSWs to take care of Canada’s most vulnerable populations.) And as the dangers of AI and data breaches become more intense, some experts are claiming that Canada needs over 38,000 new cybersecurity workers on top of the labour shortage of IT professionals in general.

It's odd then that in January of this year, RCCs were baselessly attacked as “bad actors” by media and government decision-makers. As the government rolled out their international student admissions cap, RCCs were wrongly blamed for the spike in international learners. Even though less than 5% of international study permits were issued to students attending an RCC, Canadians were misled into believing that “private colleges” were to blame for rising housing prices and an overburdened healthcare system.

The reality is, in fact, quite the opposite and as stakeholders meet in Ottawa the next two days, lets focus on the facts and not chase headlines that don’t match the data or reality that has harmed many communities.

The overwhelming majority of RCC students are domestic learners looking to upgrade their skills or find work in a new industry. In fact, in March of this year, NACC launched a new website dedicated to helping Canadian veterans achieve their post-service career goals, and enabling them to thrive in civilian life. These are the kinds of concrete solutions that my members are interested in crafting – programs that help Canadian workers find jobs that will benefit their communities and make our country stronger.

But our dedication to Canadian learners does not exclude providing opportunities for international students to contribute their passion and expertise to Canadian workplaces. To Minister Miller’s point, there is a way to attract international talent in a responsible way, namely, by empowering a limited number of international students to use their gifts in the very industries that will face catastrophe without their help.

As NACC has recently pointed out, the labour shortage crisis is worse than ever. By 2035, the ratio of workers to retirees will be cut in half. The construction industry will need 300,000 skilled trades workers in the next four years to help address the housing crisis. Governments’ plans to expand dental care and childcare coverage are doomed to fail if they don’t quickly attract and train more workers. And just one week ago, media reported that the Ontario government is projecting a need for more than 50,000 PSWs to adequately care for Canada’s aging population.

These problems will only get worse if immediate action isn’t taken to supplement the existing workforce. However, governments can be forgiven for their hesitation to overly rely on new immigrants to fill the growing gaps in the labour market. Over the past few years, increasing rates of immigration have clearly become a point of contention as pressure on Canada’s housing and healthcare systems continues to mount.

While it is essential that the government avoid inflaming the problems caused by unrestrained population growth, organizations like NACC can help to offer balanced solutions that support the responsible retention of international students who are essential to filling the gaps in the labour force. Organizations like ours are already looking at ways to uphold the rights of learners, provide financial literacy training to international students so they aren’t taken advantage of, and track employment statistics upon graduation – including employer satisfaction. We are ready to explore government partnerships and create programs that are safe, regulated, responsible and hyper-focused on protecting our economy from the looming labour crisis.

Just look at institutions like triOS College in Kitchener – which is training the cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure experts who will lead the way on automation and data security. Or the Maritime Environmental Training Institute, which is graduating the labourers, truck drivers, and construction workers that are desperately needed on job sites across the country.

In virtually every critical industry – from healthcare to education to dentistry to the trades – career colleges are offering tailor-made solutions that harness the energy of international students while responsibly managing their impact on Canada’s public services. These are the solutions that the Minister is asking for – let’s work on them together.

Michael Sangster is the CEO of the National Association of Career Colleges.