November 4, 2014

Mr. Han Dong
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities
Mowat Block
3rd Floor
900 Bay Street
Toronto ON  M7A 1L2

Dear Parliamentary Assistant Dong:

It is an honour and a pleasure to have you as my Parliamentary Assistant. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and to outline some of the important work that lies ahead of us.

As you know, our government has a plan to invest in the talent and skills of our people, build modern infrastructure, support a dynamic and innovative business climate, and provide better retirement security to people across the province. At the heart of this plan are partnerships with businesses, people and communities, which will help our government grow the economy, create jobs and implement solutions that have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.

This balanced and comprehensive plan is underpinned by a focus on fiscal prudence. The mandate letter I received last month from Premier Wynne reinforced our government’s commitment to balance the budget by 2017-18 and to pursue increased openness, accountability and modernization.

Parliamentary Assistants play a key role in delivering these priorities and have a responsibility to put our government’s plan into action.

Our Ministry is committed to an innovative postsecondary education system that is forward-looking and that focuses on providing students with the best possible learning experience in an affordable and financially sustainable way. Our Ministry is also committed to building a skilled, resilient and productive workforce with a comprehensive employment and training system that responds to rapidly changing labour market realities.

As Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, your specific responsibilities include:

  • Supporting the Minister in striking a balance between the benefits and challenges associated with colleges’ and universities’ international education partnerships;
  • Assisting in improving the transition of students from highschool to postsecondary education and the workplace, with specific focus on schools and communities with lower levels of postsecondary participation and youth employment; and
  • Working with the Minister and relevant stakeholders to help improve apprenticeship completion rates.

I am confident that together, working in collaboration with our partners in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, we can deliver on our commitment to the people we are privileged to represent and serve. I look forward to working with you to deliver our ministry’s mandate, build Ontario up — and help achieve a brighter future for every person in this province.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

The Honourable Reza Moridi
Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities