Education

Greater Victoria has four major post-secondary institutions: University of Victoria, Royal Roads University, University Canada West, and Camosun College. The best minds in the world - faculty, staff, and students - come to this region and, once here, serve the community more broadly as employees, consultants, and generators of new ideas.

The University of Victoria is widely recognized as one of Canada's leading research universities with particular strengths in oceans, global, and climate change, sustainability, and societal health and has a well-earned reputation for success in recruitment, retention, and success of and support for its approximately 900 Aboriginal students. Royal Roads University and University Canada West offer innovative programs to domestic and international students, many seeking graduate degrees. Camosun College provides a wide range of academic, business, communications, and nursing programs, as well as skills and industry-based training. Approximately 40,000 students attend Victoria's post-secondary institutions and 68 per cent of residents have post-secondary education. Furthermore, Victoria has the third highest number of Ph.D.s per capita in Canada.

In addition to contributing to a region-wide environment of dynamic thinking, Greater Victoria's education institutions are important employers. The University of Victoria alone, directly and indirectly, supports more than 11,000 jobs and is responsible for more than $2 billion in economic activity.

The number of education jobs in Greater Victoria increased by nine per cent from 2001 to 2006, matching the provincial growth rate, although employment in universities here is twice as common as the provincial average. The largest source of education job growth was in universities and the "other" category, which includes a wide variety of specialized schools in fine arts, sports, and languages.

UVic researchers were awarded $104 million in outside research grants and contracts in 2008/09. This more than doubles the research support of five years ago. Measured on a per faculty-member basis, funding also increased from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). Over the same period, the NSERC grants and scholarships in British Columbia that were spent in Greater Victoria increased from 16 to 19 per cent.

See more information in our latest newsletter.