While Canada continues to contend with long-standing challenges – including lagging productivity, lack of housing supply and labour shortages in the health sector – a recent call to safeguard national interests comes amid geopolitical upheaval stemming from disruptive U.S. foreign policy.
For a sound response, Sarah Watts-Rynard, CEO of Polytechnics Canada, proposes bolstering collaboration between industry, government and post-secondary education with a common goal: to strengthen economic resilience.
Post-secondary education is crucial to strategic workforce development in general, and “polytechnic education specifically focuses on applied, industry-aligned learning, with close connections to local employers,” she explains. “This allows colleges and institutes to muster a rapid response to changing conditions, which is more important than ever.”
Program advisory committees ensure curricula and training delivery at polytechnics reflect up-to-date workplace conditions. What’s more, hands-on learning instills confidence in graduates, says Ms. Watts-Rynard. “They’re trained on industry-relevant equipment and practices – and many take advantage of work-integrated learning or applied research projects, where they come to understand the problems employers are trying to solve.”
Learners come away with up-to-date skills and competencies that enable them to make a difference in the workplace from day one. Employers, in turn, value the new perspectives and innovative approaches these graduates can bring to the table.
“We’ve all seen the statistics that show that Canadian businesses lag in adopting new technology like AI, for example,” she says. “When you bring people with up-to-date training and technological skills into an organization – whether that’s new graduates or team members who’ve gone through upskilling – that can inject new energy and inform an action plan.”
Beyond workforce training, colleges and institutes also offer applied research opportunities that create a win-win scenario for all involved, Ms. Watts-Rynard says. “Employers come with an idea or a challenge – and then the institution contributes the space and equipment as well as the talent, both faculty and students, for developing a solution.”
What makes such partnerships especially valuable is that research and innovation are considered crucial for building economic resilience by fostering adaptability, driving technological advancements and enabling the development of new solutions to address business challenges.
“Most Canadian businesses are small and medium-sized companies. They need more support compared to large companies that may have their own R&D department,” she says, adding that among the applied research partners working with polytechnics, more than 85 per cent are small or medium-sized organizations.
“Applied research reduces the risk of technology adoption, which is seen as a good stepping stone for dealing with the productivity challenges Canadian businesses face,” says Ms. Watts-Rynard, who notes that polytechnics also play a key role in addressing other labour market challenges.
“Creating new housing, ramping up domestic manufacturing capacity and revitalizing transportation infrastructure – all this depends on a skilled workforce,” she says. “With the right government support, post-secondary education can take the appropriate steps to meet both long-standing and emerging needs.”
With a strong dedication to the success of learners, employers and communities, polytechnics have a proven track record in enhancing economic resilience, and Ms. Watts-Rynard believes the time is now to stand together and work for a brighter future for Canada.