PAGE 2: THE SHERIDAN SUN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012
Program for pilots ready for takeoff
Ivana Medic Sheridan News Sheridan College and Brampton Flight Centre are joining together to give students the opportunity to earn both a business degree and their commercial pilot’s license. Sheridan College President Jeff Zabudsky announced the new Commercial Pilot/Applied Business Degree program Jan. 25. The program has been created because of recent high demand for new pilots. Airplane manufacturer Boeing estimates that within the next 20 years, 100,000 new commercial pilots will be needed and more than 460,000 new pilots worldd Ä® D t®½½® Ã wide, due to the high demand for Glen Murray, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, says students are demanding more seats in school. air travel in countries such as India and China. According to Boeing, North America will need 82,800 pilots. The program is being introduced to high school students usTania MacWilliam aid. Murray says he is encouraged that so many Kam, who is not eligible to receive the tu- ing presentations to explain the Sheridan News students take their education seriously. ition grant, explained how OSAP has helped new program. Minister of Training, Colleges and Uni“We are very thrilled that students are out her pursue a post-secondary education. Within the next few months, versities, Glen Murray, dismissed charges that there raising increased awareness about the “What many people fail to recognize is that marketing and websites will be mature students are excluded from Ontario’s challenges that we face.” in many countries around the world, students created to advertise and get the new 30 per cent tuition grant last week. The Ontario Tuition Grant offers eligible cannot easily afford post-secondary school edu- word out about the new course. He says mature students are already ben- students 30 per cent off of their tuition. Non- KI\QWV JMKI][M ÅVIVKQIT IQL QV \PM[M ZMOQWV[ IZM Brochures are being put together MÅ\\QVO NZWU \PM XZW^QVKM¼[ ;MKWVL +IZMMZ ZM- direct entrants - students returning to the class- MQ\PMZ QV[]NÅKQMV\ WZ VWV M`Q[\MV\ º [IQL 3IU \W [PW_KI[M \PM *ZIUX\WV ÆQOP\ training program. room after more than three years of being out Murray recognizes there may still be a gap club and Sheridan. Murray made the remarks after his address of high school - are among those not eligible QV ÅVIVKQIT IQL IVL Q[ \ITSQVO \W [\]LMV\ I[[W“Commercial airlines want last Wednesday during his visit to Hazel Mc- for the grant. ciations about the challenges of mature and highly-educated pilots,” said Callion Campus to promote the grant. The Ontario Tuition Grant was intended independent students. He has also sent a letter Zabudsky. “A lot of people are talking about more \W PMTX MI[M \PM ÅVIVKQIT J]ZLMV WV NIUQTQM[ out to every college and university in the last The four-year program will tuition assistance,” he said, “but students are who have children transitioning from high week asking them for increased data on their begin in September. The prosaying our biggest priority is accessibility right school into post-secondary education. students. grams total tuition is $72,000 for now. We need more seats, and that’s expensive.” “We have, especially out here in Peel Re“We realize that we haven’t solved every all four years, which breaks down Joining the minister was Sheridan’s presi- gion, a large number of families that have two XZWJTMU aM\ J]\ _M IT[W KIV¼\ OW QV\W LMÅKQ\ º to $18,000 a year. dent, Jeff Zabudsky, MPP for Mississauga East- WZ \PZMM WZ NW]Z WZ [WUM\QUM[ Å^M [\]LMV\[ QV he said. The earning rate for pilots can Cooksville, Dipika Dameria, and guest speaker high school, college or university,” he said. Dameria agrees that while supporting edu- start off as low as $20,000 and can Stephanie Kam, member of the Student Union “This [grant] really focuses on those families cation is important, we must keep in mind the reach as high as $250,000 a year board of directors and an International Busi- and those students.” Å[KIT ZMITQ\a ;PM [Ia[ \PMZM VMML[ \W JM I [MZQW][ NWZ M`XMZQMVKML XQTW\[ ÆaQVO TIZOM ness student. Although not every student will be eligible conversation about continuing to borrow fund- commercial passenger jets, accordAlthough the minister says he is keeping for every type of student aid, there’s a student ing. ing to the Toronto Star. the cost of post-secondary schooling affordable aid for everyone, Murray says. “If we want to keep doing the things we ¹<PM ÅZ[\ aMIZ Q[ M`XMK\ML \W with a $7,500 cap on student debt per term, “We have 160,000 students right now on want to do then it means people have to start have a small intake. I’ll be happy students marching to Queens Park disagree. OSAP,” he said. “This adds a total of 310,000 thinking about their feelings about taxation,” _Q\P [\]LMV\[ NWZ \PM ÅZ[\ aMIZ Hundreds of students marched to protest students who will be getting some form of stu- [PM [IQL ¹AW] KIV¼\ PI^M \PQ[ JWZZW_QVO \W ÅTT and by September 2013, there tuition costs and the inclusiveness of student dent aid.” the gap if people don’t want to pay taxes.” are hopes for at least 30 to 40 students,” said Rob Carney, chief ÆQOP\ QV[\Z]K\WZ I\ \PM *ZIUX\WV Flight Centre. Throughout the program, Meghan Bettiol vice-president of Academics and NSSE will be issued to 1,550 perceive student involvement in students will take accounting and Sheridan News Research, and Pam Sondhi, in- Sheridan students and to 23 the classroom. ÅVIVKM KW]Z[M[ ITWVO _Q\P TMIZVHow involved are Sheridan stitutional research analyst. The schools across Ontario. “It’s pronounced fessie, al- QVO PW_ \W Æa <PMa _QTT OZIL]I\M students? survey is being issued by the PostThe survey is web-based and most like fess up,” joked Sondhi. with a bachelor’s degree in applied A survey will be issued in the secondary Research Unit of Indi- asks a range of questions from An email was sent yester- business (Global Business Managespring of 2012 asking students in ana University School of Educa- how many books students buy in day to degree students’ Sheridan ment) and a pilot’s license. degree programs simple questions tion. a semester to what students do in emails informing them of the surOne-quarter of students in about school and extracurricular “It’s a survey of student en- their spare time. vey. the program based on their GPA activities. gagement. It tries to look at what There is also a staff version “It’s looking at what sense of will be placed as pilots right after The National Survey of Stu- a student is actually thinking of the survey called the Faculty yourself is at college, what are you graduation. The program will also dent Engagement is being co- about in college or university,” Survey of Student Engagement. showing through your daily life,” offer co-op placements at aviation ordinated by Michael Collins, said Collins. The survey asks faculty how they said Collins. companies across the GTA.
Minister defends tuition grant at HMC visit Working on challenges facing mature students, Murray says
New survey to check student engagement