Career Colleges Ontario

Career Colleges Ontario (CCO), formerly the Ontario Association of Career Colleges, is a non-profit organization with more than 260 members. CCO's members are private career colleges - post-secondary schools that provide career-specific, outcome based programs. Graduates of private career colleges earn a diploma or a certificate. Private career colleges offer a wide range of programs, in fields like business, health services, human services, applied arts, information technology, electronics, services and the trades. Private career colleges often work with small groups of people and offer flexible learning schedules, enrollment at many different times during the year and compressed programs that deliver training over a shorter period of time.

Private career colleges in Ontario must be registered with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The legislation that governs the sector is called the Private Career Colleges Act 2005. There are over 580 registered private career colleges in more than 70 Ontario communities, according to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Over 67,000 people enroll in one of Ontario's Career Colleges every year, according to CCO statistics. Ontario's career colleges contribute to the economy by providing graduates in hundreds of skilled, essential fields. CCO provides advocacy, support and services to members. CCO offers a Financial Aid Office that operates in partnership with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities' Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) office and is also authorized by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities [2] to act as a provider of transcript maintenance and issuance services. As of May 2014, the association has stored more than 165,000 transcripts of former career college students.