Ontario’s colleges will be moving to an accreditation process for each institution, which will become effective in 2015. The new process builds on the Ontario College Quality Assurance Service (OCQAS) that is already in place. That service is internationally recognized for the work it does on credential validation and academic quality assurance audits for colleges.

The move to an accreditation system was approved by the Committee of Presidents at its meeting last week. Speaking at the meeting, OCQAS chair Joy Warkentin said Ontario has the best college programs in the country and the accreditation model would help to further validate and recognize the quality of the colleges.

Under the approved change, the OCQAS will become an accreditation body. This decision will start the process of working through the details of moving to a new model by 2015.