Government has appointed Jan Unwin as superintendent of graduation and student transitions. Unwin will focus on developing partnerships between post-secondary institutions, school districts, employers and government.

The nature of learning is changing. The Ministry of Advanced Education, the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and the Ministry of Education are working together to ensure a seamless delivery of education and skills training from high school right through to the entry in the workplace. A seamless education sector will allow students to achieve their best, whichever pathway they choose.

The appointment of Unwin will support the ongoing implementation of the 10 Year Skills Training Plan for Youth that the province is going to launch in the near future. The plan is designed to help youth discover careers that offer bright futures and meet British Columbia's economic needs across a wide range of industry sectors.

As superintendent of graduation and student transitions, Unwin will be seeking out opportunities to increase the number of graduates moving from secondary school successfully into the world of work/post-secondary/trades or technical programs and careers of all kinds. She will be working to expand dual credit programs and opportunities that allow secondary students to earn credits towards post-secondary while still in high school.

Unwin is well known and respected throughout the education system for her work as an innovative elementary and secondary principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent in the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school district. During her term as superintendent, the district was recognized nationally for such innovations as their environmental school, cyberschool, and the iPod Literacy Project.

Media Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963