Opinions

At just 32 years old, Vic Savino is the Director of Communications for the Treaty One Nations.

It’s a dynamic role, one that allows him to serve community members from the seven First Nations in Treaty No.1 territory and dive into projects like the development of the Naawi-Oodena urban reserve. Such a prominent director position at age 32 is certainly not the standard. But then, Savino’s life has been anything but.

Read More > “Polytechnic Alumni Spotlight: Vic Savino, Director of Communications for the Treaty One Nations”

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 Kandise MacLeod, a 2011 graduate of Sheridan’s Welding Techniques program. Kandise is a boilermaker journeyperson and a radiation protection coordinator who holds a key supervisory position at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of her fellow tradespeople in a radiological environment. She is highly skilled in the trades and has taken polytechnic programs and training to build on her expertise as a welder.

Read More > “Polytechnic Alumni Spotlight: Kandise MacLeod, Radiation Protection Coordinator at Darlington Nuclear Generating Station”

Polytechnics serve as innovation intermediaries for organizations of all shapes and sizes, providing state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and high-performance talent. Through applied research partnerships, polytechnics support businesses looking to overcome obstacles to growth, realize greater efficiencies, reduce costs and enter new markets. Solutions that emerge from these partnerships also address wider global challenges, such as fighting climate change, creating a more inclusive society and strengthening our healthcare system.

Polytechnics Canada recently connected with Nick Spina, CEO of Ethey Foods, a London-based business working with Fanshawe College. Their applied research partnership has pioneered a new plastic recycling technology that reduces used plastic into either a liquid or powder form which is, in turn, used to create new plastic packaging.

Read More > “Polytechnic Industry Partner Spotlight: Pioneering New Recycling Technology with Ethey Foods”

Polytechnic graduates use their hands-on, industry-relevant training in a wide variety of in-demand occupations across Canada. In this Q&A series, graduates speak to how they’ve turned their polytechnic education into career success.

Polytechnics Canada sat down with Hargurdeep Singh, a graduate of Sheridan’s Mechanical Engineering Technology – Design and Drafting program. As the Vice President of Advanced Manufacturing at CAD MicroSolutions Inc, he is driving growth and innovation in Canada’s manufacturing sector. During the pandemic, he designed and created 3D printed nasal swabs, face shields and ventilator splitters, developing a made-in-Canada solution to address supply shortages.

Read More > “Polytechnic Alumni Spotlight: Hargurdeep Singh, Vice President of Advanced Manufacturing at CAD MicroSolutions Inc.”

As the demand for sustainable solutions increases, George Brown College’s approach to applied learning and close ties to industry partners address the need for hiring professionals with specialized skill sets.

As governments, organizations and industries worldwide continue to respond to the climate crisis, George Brown College’s School of Mechanical Engineering Technologies provides a critical training ground for future innovators eager to build sustainable solutions and systems.

Read More > “George Brown College Knows the Importance of Developing Courses with Industry Partners”

More and more Canadians with a Bachelor’s degree are attending college to enhance their skills with hands-on training and real-world experience, according to data in the 2021 Canadian census.

The latest census showed that nearly one in five college students in Canada, or 19.4 per cent, had previously completed a Bachelor’s degree or higher. In Ontario, that number sits at 25.8 per cent.

Read More > “More Graduates are Heading to College to Enhance their Skills after Earning a Bachelor’s Degree”

As champions of lifelong learning, polytechnic institutions develop innovative and industry-responsive upskilling and reskilling programs, preparing learners to re-enter the workforce or start new careers. This kind of focused, career-oriented training is a great way to address labour shortages and skills gaps in the Canadian economy.

Polytechnics Canada recently connected with Maria Ryden, Product Strategist for Continuing Education and Professional Studies at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). She told us about the Applied Product Management Bootcamp program, a unique micro-credential designed to empower early- and mid-career professionals to upskill or discover new career opportunities in an increasingly digital world.

Read More > “Upskilling and Reskilling Spotlight: Applied Product Management Bootcamp at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology”

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 Ilona Monkman, a lifelong learner and graduate of Saskatchewan Polytechnics’ Health Information Management (HIM) program. She is the HIM practitioner at the Sturgeon Lake Health Centre on Sturgeon Lake First Nation. In this interview, Monkman explains how her education at Saskatchewan Polytechnic provided her with the skills needed to launch a career that entails managing critical health information.

Read More > “Polytechnic Alumni Spotlight: Ilona Monkman, One of Canada’s First HIM Professionals to Work in a First Nations’ Health Centre”

Published in 2021, Innovation in Real Places explores the fundamentals of innovation policy, the billions spent around the world to achieve innovation-based economic growth and key takeaways for policymakers.

The book is authored by Dan Breznitz, best known as the Chair of Innovation Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto.  He also is the Co-Director of the Innovation Policy Lab and a Fellow at CIFAR.  More recently, Breznitz has been working at the Department of Finance, where he is tasked with injecting new thinking into the Canadian government’s innovation policy, working out of the Deputy Minister’s office.  He is involved in the development of the new Canadian Innovation and Investment Agency but is also thinking more broadly about the modernization of the National Research Council and how best to increase productivity across all sectors and regions of Canada.

Read More > “Book Summary: Innovation in Real Places by Dan Breznitz”