The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) introduced the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) initiative to measure performance in Ontario's colleges. Since 1998, colleges have been mandated by the Ontario Government to collect and report performance data in five areas - Student Satisfaction, Graduate Satisfaction, Graduate Employment, Employer Satisfaction, Graduate Rate. Gathered by an independent research company, the KPI results show that Ontario's Colleges achieve consistently high results when measured by students, graduates and employers. Based on themes of accountability and excellence, the KPI project is a collaborative venture between the colleges and the Ministry.

Key Performance Indicators measure:

1. Student Satisfaction 2. Graduate Satisfaction * 3. Graduate Employment *

4. Employer Satisfaction * 5. Graduate Rate

Results	2010-11 Key Performance Indicators
	Northern College	Province
Student Satisfaction	70.7%	76.1%
*Graduate Satisfaction	84.2%	79.1%
*Graduate Employment	86.4%	83.0%
*Employer Satisfaction	87.9%	93.2%
Graduation Rate	65.0%	64.2%
Please note that these statistics are reported for the 2010-2011 school year.

Of these five indicators, three of them are currently linked to funding. Graduate Satisfaction, Graduate Employment and Employer Satisfaction data are used to distribute government transfer payments amongst colleges. The amount of the performance based funding has remained constant for the last four years at $16.4 million and is distributed to colleges on a formula that reflects the size of the college and its KPI score.

How the process works:

Student Satisfaction
Each year in early February, all students (excluding first-semester students and part-time students not enrolled in a post-secondary program) complete college-administered surveys as to their satisfaction with their college program and services. An external survey consultant then tabulates the data, while colleges calculate student graduation rates. View a copy of the Student Satisfaction survey.

Graduate Satisfaction and Graduate Employment
Graduate satisfaction and employer satisfaction data are collected through telephone surveys conducted by an external consultant six months after the students graduate. The results of this survey provide valuable information on graduate outcomes and the graduates' satisfaction with their college education.

Employer Satisfaction
Eight weeks following the graduate survey, and based on the graduates' authorization, their employers are contacted by the same external consultant and surveyed as to their satisfaction with the colleges' preparation of graduates in order to meet employers' needs.

Graduate Rate
The college, using ministry-established guidelines calculates the graduation rate. It is important to note that numbers for programs are not available if program graduates are not within the calculation time frame set out by the ministry.