Press Release
Starting Nov. 1, illegal private career colleges in Ontario will face financial penalties of up to $250,000 for taking advantage of students.
The fines will be levied on businesses that misrepresent themselves as colleges, and on private colleges that offer unapproved programs and fail to comply with the Private Career Colleges Act.
To further protect students, the province also is:
•appointing new provincial offences officers to inspect private career colleges; and
•launching an awareness campaign to help students choose a government-approved private career college program before enrolling.
Students can search for approved programs and registered private career colleges at Ontario.ca/pcc, by calling 1-866-410-PCCS, or checking out the Private Career Colleges in Ontario page on Facebook.
Penalties will range from $250-$1,000 for a first offence.
The penalties can be imposed daily, and can escalate with repeat offences to a maximum of $250,000.
There are 580 registered private career college campuses in about 70 communities across Ontario.
Students at private career colleges can train for jobs in a range of fields, from marketing and graphic design to welding and dental hygiene.
