News Articles

When Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a new cap on international students last month, exemptions were made for Master’s and PhD students because “these are the highly skilled people Canada needs.”

Another exemption was made for those who complete short-term graduate programs, who are now eligible for three-year postgraduate work permits so long as their credentials are earned at one of Canada’s universities.

To hear the minister explain it, the exemptions are designed to address labour market needs. But has Canada’s business community found itself suddenly short of doctoral candidates and MBAs? Job vacancy rates in the federal government’s own analyses suggest otherwise.

Read More > “Canada’s cap on international students shows a university bias”

Like it or not, the age of artificial intelligence (AI) is upon us. While Canada has every reason to be ahead of the implementation curve, with a highly educated workforce and excellent access to cutting-edge tech, history suggests Canada will be well behind on the path to AI adoption.

How do we break the cycle and become technology leaders?

Read More > “Canada must ramp up skills for the AI revolution or risk falling behind”

Labour force challenges could impact Canada’s future economic growth and innovation. These challenges include modest population growth, labour market shortages and skill mismatches within our current workforce.

A recent survey commissioned by Polytechnics Canada found that 90 per cent of Canadian employees believe skills development is important. Nearly 50 per cent of workers feel the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of upskilling and reskilling to advance their careers.

Read More > “Canadians are upskilling and reskilling at polytechnics”

Ontario’s public colleges have always worked with industry and community organizations to ensure curriculum was relevant and up-to-date, and that students had opportunities for work-integrated learning experiences.

Today, partnerships with industry are the lifeblood of our institutions and are helping to shape the future of education in the province and beyond.

Applied research, scholarships, work-integrated learning on-campus and online as well as networking, mentorship and outreach are some of the ways these relationships expose Ontario students to career options and help Ontario businesses succeed.

Read More > “Harnessing the power of partnerships to drive post-secondary forward“

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).

Read More > “Regenerative Revolution: How Canadian Polytechnics are Leading the Charge”

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.”

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.

Read More > “Canadians know they need new skills — now governments need to step up to make training accessible, affordable and timely”