Regenerative Revolution: How Canadian Polytechnics are Leading the Charge

A sustainability-focused approach to combatting environmental degradation and resource scarcity is now critical. It is no longer viable to consume the world’s natural resources or develop our natural landscape in the manner of the last century. At current rates of fossil fuel consumption, climate models predict that Earth’s global average temperature will rise an additional 4°C (7.2°F) during the 21st Century, threatening coastal cities, increasing the frequency of natural disasters and heightening the risk of extinction among numerous plant and animal species (UCAR, 2022).

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Flexible post-secondary education key to closing skills gap in B.C.

The job market in British Columbia has faced its share of challenges. The effects of the pandemic and rising inflation have led to acute labour shortages as employers across all sectors face difficulties finding and keeping skilled workers. Meanwhile, many job seekers are rethinking their investment in higher education or re-evaluating their career path entirely.

Read More > “Flexible post-secondary education key to closing skills gap in B.C.”

Polytechnic Alumni Spotlight: ApplyBoard Co-founders, Meti and Massi Basiri

Polytechnic institutions offer expert-led, industry-relevant training for high-performance talent. In this Q&A series, graduates from across our member institutions discuss how a polytechnic education helped propel their success in diverse fields.

Polytechnics Canada sat down with Meti and Massi Basiri, two 2014 graduates of Conestoga College’s Business Administration – Marketing Advanced Diploma Program and Fitness and Health Promotion Diploma Program. They are co-founders of ApplyBoard, the world’s largest online platform for international student recruitment and one of the fastest growing technology companies in Canada. The pair has also been named to three different Forbes 30 Under 30 lists. In this interview, Meti and Massi explain how their education at Conestoga provided them with the skills needed to found a unicorn start-up.

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2022: The year in review

As 2022 comes to a close, we are facing a post-pandemic reality that needs polytechnic education more than ever. Among the solutions they offer, polytechnics help address labour shortages and pressing climate change challenges. They are helping business partners overcome obstacles to innovation and offering students state-of-the-art training spaces. They also ensure the values of equity, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of their work, finding new ways to reach broader audiences and underrepresented communities.

We have identified a few examples of the impact our members made this year:

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Canadians know they need new skills — now governments need to step up to make training accessible, affordable and timely

Over the course of the last few years, there has been a drastic restructuring of the Canadian labour force. Businesses across sectors are contending with labour shortages and widening skills gaps.

According to a recent Statistics Canada report, 56.1 per cent of businesses say their workforce is not operating at the level required; 60.3 per cent report existing skills gaps are negatively impacting business.

So, what can be done? Plenty.

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Submission for the Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2023 Federal Budget

Key recommendations include:

  1. Enhance the capacity of Canada’s innovation intermediaries to boost performance within small- and
    medium-sized companies by investing $331 million over five years in the College and Community
    Innovation Program
  2. Renew support for experiential learning by making the Student Work Placement Program permanent
    and expanding eligibility to include post-secondary institutions and international students
  3. Strengthen awareness of and navigation to lifelong learning by ensuring Canadians have relevant labour
    market information on skills in demand, flexible financial supports to pursue training and guidance to
    available courses
  4. Relaunch a post-secondary infrastructure program that enables investments in green infrastructure,
    new technology and systems designed to develop a future-ready workforce

Submission for the Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2023 Federal Budget

Key recommendations include:

  1. Enhance the capacity of Canada’s innovation intermediaries to boost performance within small- and
    medium-sized companies by investing $331 million over five years in the College and Community
    Innovation Program
  2. Renew support for experiential learning by making the Student Work Placement Program permanent
    and expanding eligibility to include post-secondary institutions and international students
  3. Strengthen awareness of and navigation to lifelong learning by ensuring Canadians have relevant labour
    market information on skills in demand, flexible financial supports to pursue training and guidance to
    available courses
  4. Relaunch a post-secondary infrastructure program that enables investments in green infrastructure,
    new technology and systems designed to develop a future-ready workforce

‘Back to school’ can mean you too — if we remove barriers to lifelong learning

Another “back to school” season is upon us — but education is not for youth alone. The World Economic Forum estimates that half of all employees globally will need re-skilling by 2025. The fall reminds us that learning is lifelong, and the invitation is open to everyone.

Yet Canada needs to remove a few critical barriers to lifelong learning.

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Canada is not ready for the coming electric vehicle revolution. Here’s what we need to do

Considering a career change? Canada will soon need many more skilled technicians and tradespeople to usher in a new era of transportation.

We are in the midst of an energy revolution. By 2030, the International Energy Agency expects there will be 145 million electric vehicles (EVs) on the road globally. But where are the charging stations needed to power them, or the skilled workers to service them? Currently, Canada does not have the infrastructure required to sustain the projected influx.

Read More > “Canada is not ready for the coming electric vehicle revolution. Here’s what we need to do”