It increases their awareness that communication is an art and a skill that can be done either well or poorly. The course teaches business and technical communication against a backdrop of real-world problems. TPC 12 students find themselves designing proposals, drafting business correspondence, writing site-evaluation reports, creating information brochures or a host of other skill driven projects. Ironically, although most post secondary institutions value the skills taught in TPC 12, the course is not fully endorsed by the universities or colleges. Universities state that it is too early to assess the rigours of the fledgling course.
Colleges take a softer position.
As a result, many students are reluctant to take TPC 12 for fear that it will reduce their options. Holly Williams, a Vancouver TPC teacher, is quick to highlight the flaw in this reasoning. These students will not qualify for university based on their marks, but could have benefited from the skills taught in TPC 12. TPC 12 graduates are less intimidated by the challenges of work place writing. Within months of graduating she was writing a business proposal for the Ministry of Forests.