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The Career College Group, an Ontario-based educational conglomerate, aims at supplying leading Canadian industries’ with skilled, qualified workers. The group’s two divisions – Medix College and North American Trade Schools – offer over 28 unique programs across seven campuses. Each program targets growing fields with high current employee demand.

For more than 40 years, Medix College has trained students for jobs within the healthcare service industry. Medix operates within six of the Career College Group Campuses and offers several online classes. North American Trade Schools, with two campuses within Ontario, provides students with the skills necessary to excel in hands-on trade areas.

Education with Purpose

The Career College Group puts the needs of the community first. They engage a group of employers, industry professionals, and post-secondary educators from each program discipline to assess community needs. These advisory boards help the Career College Group select which departments to expand, and decide what kind of future programs they could potentially offer. Through listening to community needs, the Career College Group can train students for in-demand positions and better equip Ontario businesses with qualified employees.

“Our ultimate goal is that students come here, graduate, and get a job,” explains Peter Dykstra, the Career College Group’s Vice President. “Whatever the community needs is our focus. We want to get our students employed.” The most recent addition to the Career College Group’s multi-disciplinary education opportunities is the Solar Energy Technician program. This six-month technical training program provides students with the necessary knowledge and experience to work with both private energy service companies and government institutions.

Learning Philosophy

The Career College Group educates students through maintaining strong values. They employ the “Five A’s of Employment” within each program in order to prepare students for professional working environments. These five factors – Attitude, Attendance, Appearance, Academics, and Accountability – focus on developing the professional attitude needed to reach career success.

“These are the soft skills that really help our students secure employment and be excellent in their industry,” explains Ryan Alary, Director of North American Trade Schools London.

Why Choose Career College Group?

Through working closely with the Ontario Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities, the Career College Group offers exceptional student support and financial aid services. The group aims at offering equal opportunities to all students regardless of background or monetary limitations.

The Career College Group looks to offer assistance on a level easily accessible to all potential students. Dykstra explains, “Our focus is that students who choose to attend a career college like ours have equal opportunities and access to support programs, credit transfer, grants and financial aid. We believe we have one of the best education systems in the world… We want to make sure our students have the same opportunity as any other college or university.”

Both Medix College and North American Trade Schools offer students the option of making monthly payments or running a student line of credit. They are also registered with OSAP and operate in conjunction with the provincial government’s Employment Ontario initiative.

The Career College Group also provides accelerated program opportunities in order to quickly bring students into the workforce. Their in-class time averages at about 20 to 25 hours per week, ten hours more than the alternative’s average. Classes run daily, with no semester breaks. They also don’t offer any elective classes, allowing students to focus solely on their chosen field.

Each Medix and North American Trade Schools program includes an Internship/Externship program, providing students with on-the-job training before entering their field. These opportunities can range anywhere from 240 to 600 hours per college program. There are also labs and practice facilities located within each campus.

“In terms of both our programs, we spend about 60 per cent of the time doing hands-on training and 40 per cent within the classroom,” says Alary.

Many programs, such as HVAC Technician and Solar Energy Technician, include licencing and certification as part of the learning experience. This allows students to enter the workforce fully equipped to find meaningful employment within their field.

The Career College Group is currently collecting data with plans to publish each program’s hiring percentages later this year. The findings will be available through the Ontario government.

“What I can guarantee you is that our focus is on getting every student a job. We don’t stop till that happens.”

Starting Family Legacies

Through providing financial assistance and job training, Career College Group hopes to assist students in achieving successful, long-term careers. They specifically work with people within social support systems in finding necessary job training and career counselling. These assistance programs help bring students out of welfare situations and allow them to make more meaningful contributions in their communities.

“I probably have the best job in the world,” says Dykstra, “We help people reach their goals. A lot of the time our students are the first ones in their family to attend post-secondary. This can start a tradition of achieving higher education within families. There’s nothing more rewarding than a student coming and letting us know their on a better track.”

Why Hire a College Career Group Graduate?

The Career College Group aims at providing Canadian businesses with skilled, professional workers. Through extensive hands-on training and career-specific classes, Career College Group graduates can provide top growing companies to meet industry demands.

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