SUMMARY
In 2008 we recommended that the Department of Innovation and Advanced Education clarify its standards and expectations, and monitoring of non-credit programs at post-secondary institutions.
The department has implemented our recommendations by:
- annually communicating its expectation that institutions recover at least the total direct cost of delivering their non-credit programs, allowing the rate of cost recovery to vary for each program
- obtaining financial reports approved by each institution’s vice president of finance, performing improved reconciliation processes and analysis of this information, and following up with institutions when they do not recover the total direct costs for non-credit programs
Why this is important to Albertans
The department provides operating grants for credit programs. A lack of clear policies and guidelines for institutions for non-credit programs may result in them using department operating grants to support non-credit programs.