Ministry Overview and Core Business Areas

The Ministry of Advanced Education provides funding and policy direction for British Columbia's public post-secondary education system, administers student financial assistance programs, and supports research and technology development in the province. The ministry also administers provincial statutes governing public and private post-secondary institutions and some professions. These activities are encompassed within the following five core business areas.

1. Educational Institutions and Organizations
The ministry provides funding to British Columbia's public universities, university colleges, community colleges, institutes, and other organizations that support the province's public post-secondary education system.

2. Student Financial Assistance
Student financial assistance is available to students at the post-secondary level attending public and designated private institutions. It combines repayable loans, non-repayable assistance, and debt reduction measures awarded on the basis of each student's need. It also provides merit-based awards. In addition, the ministry administers student aid programs on behalf of the federal government, the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, and other British Columbia ministries.

3. Debt Service Costs and Amortization of Prepaid Capital Advances
The ministry provides funding to public post-secondary institutions to finance capital projects, including upgrades, renovations, replacements, expansions, and new facilities and equipment. The ministry services the debt associated with these projects and amortizes the resulting assets over their economic lives.

4. Research and Technology
The ministry is responsible for research, innovation and technology in the province. This includes funding and overseeing the activities of the British Columbia Innovation Council and the Premier's Technology Council. The ministry's responsibilities also encompass research activities funded through other core business areas. These include a mandate to fund provincial post-secondary institutions that conduct basic and applied research, to fund the province's major research infrastructure program — the British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund — and for liaison with the Leading Edge Endowment Fund, which funds research chairs.

5. Executive and Support Services
The ministry provides leadership, establishes policy, and administers accountability and planning processes for British Columbia's public post-secondary education system. The ministry also establishes policy concerning private post-secondary institutions, and supports the Degree Quality Assessment Board, which administers a quality assessment process for new public and private degree programs. Support to the ministry in the areas of human resources, information systems, records management, financial management, and information privacy is provided by the Management Services Division, whose budget is reported by the Ministry of Education.

Cross-Ministry Initiatives

The Ministry of Advanced Education will cooperate with other ministries and government organizations to achieve outcomes and meet government priorities in areas of overlapping responsibility. Our top priorities in these areas include:

• To work with the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation on improving the connection of Aboriginals to post-secondary education, including their experience and retention rates;
• To continue working with the Ministry of Education on improving literacy levels and the transition of students from the K – 12 system to post-secondary institutions;
• To participate with the Ministry of Economic Development on industry training and labour market issues, and on building an attractive investment climate and vibrant economy;
• To continue working with the Ministry of Health on addressing health professional shortages and on health-related research needs;
• To work with the Ministries of Tourism, Sport and the Arts; Economic Development; and the Attorney General on marketing our excellent post-secondary system, and on developing research and innovation partnerships in the Asia-Pacific and beyond in a coordinated manner; and
• To work with other ministries and government organizations to help make the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games a resounding success.