Which B.C. university was ranked by the Globe and Mail as Canada's top institution for quality education last year? Which B.C. institute had six graduates hired immediately by the new Lucasfilm animation studio when it opened in Singapore? And which B.C. institute was the first culinary school in Canada to win a Consumers' Choice Award?

The answers are Trinity Western University, the Vancouver Film School and the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. They are three examples of the excellent education offered by private post-secondary institutions in B.C.

More than 500 private colleges are registered with B.C.'s Private Career Training Institutions Agency. These colleges are important to students' futures - and they are also vital to the province's economy. Some industry sectors, for instance, rely heavily on these colleges to train most, if not all, of their workers - including helicopter pilots, commercial divers, art therapists, heavy equipment operators and truck drivers.

B.C. also has 14 private or out-of-province institutions - like Trinity Western, which has been teaching students in this province for almost three decades - that have permission to grant degrees. One of the newest, University Canada West, gives students a chance to compress a four-year undergraduate degree program into three years. Quest University Canada, due to welcome its first class of students this September, has signed quality review agreements with highly respected universities around the world; professors compete fiercely for positions on its faculty. These two institutions were both required to pass rigorous assessments before we gave them degree-granting status.

It's clear the vast majority of private post-secondary schools in this province are offering quality programs that prepare their students for success in life. Combined with our province's top-notch publicly funded institutions, they increase access to a wide range of programs throughout B.C., providing flexibility and choice. They also attract students from all over the world.

It's equally clear, however, that safeguards must be in place for the rare occasions when private institutions fail to obey the law, or do not meet the standards we set for them. That's why I have introduced new measures to protect students, enhance quality, and strengthen accountability in this sector.

We're enhancing the PCTIA's online registry of career trainers who have had their registration or accreditation cancelled or suspended. Infractions that would affect students will stay up on the registry for five years, so anyone anywhere in the world will be able to research the history of these schools. Career trainers must also provide more information about their success rates - for example, how many of their graduates find jobs in the fields in which they trained.

Starting in September, we're stepping up our monitoring of private school advertising in B.C. and abroad, so we can be sure that what students see or hear in those ads is exactly what they'll get. And we'll make sure each accredited career college and each degree-granting institution gets a visit once a year from either the PCTIA or ministry staff.

We've moved ahead early on one recommendation from the Campus 2020 report by appointing a former assistant deputy minister of advanced education to do a comprehensive, independent review of the Private Career Training Institutions Act. John Watson is about to begin his review, which will also consider whether private ESL schools should be regulated - and if so, how. We expect to see his report sometime this fall.

We're bringing in new members to the PCTIA board from outside the private career training sector, acting on another Campus 2020 recommendation to reflect the broader public interest. One of those new members will be a student.

We're setting up a way for students or members of the public who have concerns about any degree-granting institution to bring those concerns to the Ministry of Advanced Education. We're also requiring all of those institutions to prove to us every year that the programs they offer match the plans we approved for them.

Regulating private post-secondary education is always a balancing act. How do we protect the public interest while minimizing regulatory burden so schools can be competitive and attract students? How do we help them keep quality high, and fees low?

We moved closer to the right balance for career colleges in 2004, when we created the Private Career Training Institutions Agency. The year before, we did the same thing with the Degree Authorization Act. Now we're building on what we've accomplished, ensuring our private system continues to evolve through measures that increase both transparency and accountability.

Every year, tens of thousands of students choose a private post-secondary education in British Columbia to prepare for their futures. Those students need to know they will have the best possible educational experience that will reward them for their investment and hard work. This government is taking action to make sure that happens.