Career Colleges Ontario (CCO) is a not-for-profit association that was established in 1973 to advocate on behalf of private career colleges in the province. The association’s purpose is to help governments, key decision makers and the public understand the critical role its members and their students play in supporting Ontario’s post-secondary education system and improving the province’s economic well-being. CCO currently has a membership of over 240 career colleges across the province. Every year, approximately 43,000 students enroll in one of Ontario’s career colleges. CCO members contribute to Ontario’s economy by providing highly qualified graduates in hundreds of essential, skilled fields such as Applied Arts, Business, Healthcare, Human Services, Information Technology, Services and Trades. CCO has been able to distinguish itself as an association by offering a Financial Aid Office that operates in conjunction with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities' Financial Assistance Branch. In addition, the association also provides a student transcript storage service that is approved by the MTCU for career colleges to use. Career colleges have existed in Ontario for more than 145 years and are regulated under the Private Career Colleges Act by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Since the inception of the first career college campus in Belleville in 1868, the career college sector has grown steadily and today remains a fundamental component of Ontario’s post-secondary resource. The popularity of career colleges is continually expanding, primarily due to the unique approach they take to accommodate the individual needs of their students and to meet the needs of the employer community, rather than focusing on institutional structural needs.