The University of Waterloo (U-W) is set to receive a major provincial investment of $80 million, all in an effort to add thousands of seats in various high-demand programs.
The investment is coming from the Ontario government, which announced that it’ll be funding 2,515 additional seats in various programs, looking to “connect more students to good-paying, in-demand careers.”
“The University of Waterloo welcomes the Government of Ontario’s investment in creating more spaces in high-demand programs,” said Dr. Bill Rosehart, President and Vice-Chancellor of U-W.
“At Waterloo, students learn both in the classroom and through real-world experiences. By expanding access to these experiences, we can help more students turn their ideas and education into meaningful careers while developing the talented graduates Ontario needs for the future.”
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It’s all being done as part of a broader push through the provincial government, which is looking to invest $1.7 billion into institutions across Ontario, looking to support a total of 70,000 new seats in its push to “build a more competitive economy by continuing to develop a world-class workforce.”
Those high-demand areas are said to focus primarily on STEM, health, and other labour market-driven areas, with those added seats expected to be available for student enrollment later in the fall.
“Our province’s greatest strength is our highly skilled workforce, and those workers are trained at our world-class colleges and universities,” said Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security.
“This investment is supporting the largest seat expansion in Ontario in more than a decade and will ensure more students have the opportunity to train for good-paying careers that protect and strengthen our communities, industries and province.”
For U-W, those 2,515 seats will consist of:
- 705 seats for STEM programs
- 103 seats for health programs
- 1,707 seats in other, labour market-driven programs
“The University of Waterloo is a cornerstone of our region’s economy, and this investment means more students will have the opportunity to build their careers right here in our community,” said Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris.
“By expanding seats in high-demand programs, we’re helping more students pursue rewarding careers while building the skilled workforce that will keep our local economy strong and support the most competitive economy in the G7.”
The government said that the expansion at U-W will help to ensure students in Waterloo Region will be able to access the education they need to “launch rewarding, in-demand careers,” all as programs in STEM, healthcare, trades, and education producing graduates they say have higher rates of employment, earn higher wages, and drive ket sectors of the economy.
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