Quebec's English CEGEPs flooded with applicants

Quebec's English-language CEGEPs are turning down record numbers of students because they have been flooded with applications this year, according to campus officials.

Dawson College received 8,000 applications this year but can take only 3,500 new students, said college spokeswoman Donna Varrica Wednesday.

"It's been very difficult for our admissions staff this year, because, you know, every decision means you're affecting someone's life," Varrica said.

Champlain College registrar Suzanne Coulombe said a weak job market is one reason for the record number of applicants.

"Of course, the better degree you have, the better the job you might get," she said.

Quebec lost 37,000 jobs in July, the biggest one-month drop since 1981. Workers 25 and younger accounted for 62 per cent of the lost jobs.

Coulombe says the economy is certainly driving young people toward vocational programs.

But, Coulombe said, the biggest reason for this year's spike is demographics.

"It has to do with the year of the births, and of course, uh, immigration," she said.

Coulombe says the data on birth rates shows student numbers should drop after 2012.