Language Benchmarking of College Programs
The CIITE project identified language proficiency as a key factor in ITIs’ academic achievement and, more significantly, as a major determinant in their ability to successfully secure meaningful employment upon completing their program of study.

Building on research and extensive findings from the Phase 2, the benchmarking activity set out to advance the language proficiency agenda further along the continuum in Phase 3.1.   Doing so called for an integrated approach, which systematically measures and evaluates the language demands of college programs with high ITI enrolment while working to effectively communicate the benefits of adopting Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLBs) in Ontario colleges. 

This integrated, two-tier approach rests on the recognition that rapidly changing demographic changes impact the way colleges approach recruitment, registration and retention, especially when addressing the significant growth in our non-traditional cohorts and the growing commitment to ensure the success of all students.

The aggregate findings of the two benchmarking models along with the campaign to effectively communicate the benefits of the CLB standardized benchmarks undertaken during in Phase 3.1 would ideally converge and enable colleges to better design and deliver their programs ensuring success for all students academically and professionally. 

Moreover, a genuine institutional understanding of the language demands of college programs would be fully integrated into the college’s core business case.  It will improve the ability of all colleges to focus on managing enrolment, while not abdicating their equally crucial responsibility of providing continued support to all students, ensuring their retention and adequately preparing them to meet the labour market competitive demands.