OTTAWA – Algonquin College adopts a new web-based reporting tool developed by local firm Vocantas to reduce drop-out numbers. Freshmen are contacted by phone and asked a series of questions aimed at uncovering problems that might be an obstacle to their success, and putting him or her among the 10 -15% of students in colleges and universities lost to attrition each year. Armed with research showing those numbers can be reduced significantly with early intervention, Algonquin administrators are using Vocantas’s voice-response solution to track and report real time data from students so they can identify issues quickly. “We recognized the importance of a retention plan several years ago and have been building upon it each semester … the Vocantas system lets us reach out to more students faster than we ever could before,” says a school spokesperson.