14 September 2015 – Experience Ontario Will Help Students Transition from Secondary Education

The Ontario Government is helping more students make the transition between secondary and postsecondary education and training with Experience Ontario, a new pilot program designed to help young people identify and work towards their future goals.

Experience Ontario is a two-year, $20-million pilot program that will give approximately 600 students across the province valuable work experience, career coaching and mentorship in its first year. The program will encourage graduating high school students to choose the appropriate postsecondary educational path for them, and will help them succeed once they enrol.

Each Experience Ontario participant will have access to a career coach to guide them throughout the nine-month program. Participants will attend a three-day career exploration conference, visit a postsecondary education institution or training facility, have their college or university application fee paid for and take part in up to three paid work placements in sectors related to their interests.

Helping more students succeed is part of the government’s plan to build Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

QUICK FACTS

• In 2015-16, approximately 600 students from across the province will take part in the nine-month Experience Ontario program, which includes up to three paid work placements in sectors related to their interests.

• Ontario’s five-year high school graduation rate was 84 per cent in 2014, which is 16 percentage points higher than the 2004 rate of 68 per cent. The percentage of students graduating in four years is 76 per cent, an increase of 20 percentage points since 2004, when it was only 56 per cent.

• 66 per cent of Ontario adults have completed postsecondary education, higher than any country in the OECD.