Education Enterprise Region Vancouver Island University
Education Enterprise Region An umbrella under which rests a combination of ideas and resources brought together to mobilize innovative solutions Many positive examples in the United Kingdom, Europe and United States Education Enterprise Regions vary in structure and focus but have common themes
Common Themes Partnerships of universities, business and community Long-term focus on specific challenges and opportunities (ie. building human capital) Structure that allows resources to cut across boundaries and be used more effectively Enhanced and coordinated investments in fiber optic / broadband networks Active promotion of the enterprise region by collaborators and local partners
Social and Economic Context The mid-island region has a more difficult social and economic context than much of British Columbia The Education Enterprise Region will become a catalyst that addresses challenges and creates opportunities
Social and Economic Context A few examples of opportunities are: Building an educated workforce Importing talent and ideas from across Canada and around the world Developing human capital to foster business and industry attraction and retention
Social and Economic Context A few examples of challenges of an educated workforce are: Child poverty Transition to post-secondary education Access to good jobs
Child Poverty Child poverty rates are high in the VIU region particularly for aboriginal communities
. The Regional Picture That equates to approximately $19,300,000 in unpaid federal grant money to children living in low income families within the Regional District of Nanaimo and the Regional District of Cowichan Valley
The Regional Picture 2012 Uptake Rate 23% 2016 Uptake Rate 32.8% That represents a $9.4 million dollar investment of federal funds for children living in the RDN and CVRD who are most at risk*. *The RDN and CVRD have over 4500 more children living in low income circumstances than in 2012.
Transition to Post-Secondary Transition from high school to post-secondary education is improving but still below BC averages
VIU Tuition Waiver Students 120 100 New and Cumulative 108 80 60 40 20 19 19 30 41 26 48 32 0 2013/2014 2014/2015 2015/2016 2016/2017 New Students Cumulative 22 of the Youth in Care Tuition Waiver students have graduated
20-Year Effect of 2% Federal Cap
Access to Jobs Using a variety of economic indicators, BC Business ranks mid-island cities in the bottom third of 36 BC cities for job outlook Community 2017 Rank Average Household Income 5 year Population Growth 5 Year Income Growth Squamish 1 $105,593 11.77% 19.46% Nanaimo 25 $82,965 3.98% 18.36% Duncan 28 $84,733 1.30% 19.21% Parksville 29 $79,077 3.17% 16.95% Powell River 36 $74,254-0.45% 12.68%
Benefits to Vancouver Island and British Columbia Among the many benefits from a Region dedicated to bringing together ideas, resources and talent are: o Move the impoverished population in our region into participating in our economy; o Enhancing our strong relationships with First Nations communities to build capacity for engagement in the economy and address social and cultural challenges; o Building upon VIU international programs to attract additional students (HQP) and new entrepreneurial opportunities for the region; and o Attracting and retaining business and industry to a region where there is an available and highly-qualified workforce
Why VIU is Leading This Initiative Proven ability of an innovative and collaborative university School Districts with innovative approaches Strong partnerships with First Nations, governments, business and community VIU Access to Excellence Academic Plan sets out commitment to address Island needs A diverse mix of programs and culture not found in most universities, but ideal for an Education Enterprise Region Ongoing program development relevant to an evolving economy (ie. potential new Engineering and Digital Technology programs)
Government Roles and Next Step VIU is not asking for new funding or special legislation or policy VIU is looking to partnerships and collaborations with communities, school districts, business and industry to profile and support the Education Enterprise Region The concept is consistent with objectives of the BC Jobs Plan, Balanced Budget 2016, #BCTECH Strategy, and 2016 TechTalentBC Report Next step is for VIU to work with communities and organizations in the region to establish objectives, partners and framework for the Education Enterprise Region
Questions
Investing in Community Engagement Coast Salish Kwakwaka wakw Nuu-chah-nulth