TOWES becomes an learning component for all
BVC students

Bow Valley College is the first college in Canada to begin graduating all of its career students students with Canada's Essential Credential, the TOWES test.

With a commitment to delivering work-ready graduates, Bow Valley College included TOWES testing into its College Success 101 program this fall.

College Success 101 is a program which all BVC career students complete in order to graduate. The goal is to ensure students have the skills required to be a safe and productive worker after graduation. TOWES is a major part of this, says Conrad Murphy, Business Leader of TOWES.

“Bow Valley College is using TOWES, which is recognized across Canada as the essential credential, to assess present skills and compare them to the requirements of over 200 jobs listed in the National Occupational Classification. The identification and development of essential skills enables individuals to make more informed career and education decisions, and gain access to higher paying jobs,” explains Murphy.

And by using the TOWES assessment, BVC’s College Success 101 instructors are able to pinpoint areas of strength and weakness in students and to then develop intervention strategies,” Murphy explains, adding that employers are using TOWES for similar reasons: “In a workplace setting, employers use TOWES to identify skill gaps and provide focused training to prepare workers for a wide range of jobs. Investing in TOWES will improve an organization’s bottom line.”

BVC expects more and more colleges in Canada to implement TOWES testing as part of its graduate credentials within the next few years. "In many colleges across Canada, there is a movement to provide alternate corresponding assessments of student skills and TOWES is tool that fulfills this need." Conrad added.