Message from the Minister and
Accountability Statement

It is my pleasure to present the Ministry of Advanced Education 2005/06 – 2007/08 Annual Service Plan Report.

Making sure all British Columbians have access to advanced education is one of the most important things our Ministry can do in this era of transformative change. As our economy grows and develops, we need more skilled people to fill the record number of new jobs being created. Those skilled people earn more, and contribute more tax revenues that provide for services such as health care and public infrastructure. Post-secondary education also provides students with knowledge and perspective that enrich the social fabric of our province.

Those are some of the reasons we have focused on opening the doors of advanced education to more British Columbians. We promised to create 25,000 student spaces by 2010, and as of 2005/06 we have already funded over 7,400 of them. We have established university campuses in Kelowna and Kamloops. We have also committed more than a billion dollars to improve and expand our campuses across the province.

As the Ministry Responsible for Research and Technology, the Ministry of Advanced Education is making new research investments in areas such as life sciences and natural resources. Research, technology and innovation create wealth, solve problems, and enhance our social, cultural and physical well-being. In the months and years ahead, the Ministry will work with stakeholders in the post-secondary system and the research and technology sector to promote further growth and improvement.

I am proud of British Columbia's role as a national leader and innovator in education. Our Ministry supports the government's five great goals for the next 10 years, and is working with other ministries and our system partners to fulfill British Columbia's rich potential.

A great deal has been accomplished, but there is still much to do. The Ministry is exploring a range of strategies to increase literacy in the province as part of government's goal of making British Columbia the most literate jurisdiction on the continent by 2016. We will continue to increase opportunities for students to train in high demand fields such as nursing, allied health care, medicine, and skilled trades. And we will persist in our efforts to expand the education choices available to students across the province. The completion of the final phase of BCcampus will help in this endeavour.

The Ministry of Advanced Education 2005/06 Annual Service Plan Report compares the actual results to the expected results identified in the Ministry's 2005/06 – 2007/08 Service Plan Update published in September 2005. I am accountable for those results as reported.

Honourable Murray Coell
Minister of Advanced Education and
Minister Responsible for Research and Technology

June 30, 2006