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2020 – House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development & the Status of Persons with Disabilities study on the Impact of COVID-19

June 1, 2020 | 295.95KB | Download pdf >

Key recommendations include:

  1. Invest in Canada’s post-secondary infrastructure to ensure training can occur in an environment that responds to physical distancing and other safety protocols while also supporting green retrofits
  2. Support the digital adaptation of learning and training in Canada, enabling learners who will face challenges to in-person instruction and ensuring applied learning can be delivered in a broad range of new ways
  3. Empower Canadians to retrain and upskill at this critical juncture by offering all Canadian Emergency Response Benefit recipients a one-time boost to the Canada Training Benefit
  4. Enable the business- and innovation-enhancing services available at Canada’s polytechnics, ensuring they are positioned to support Canada’s small- and medium-sized enterprises and deliver meaningful, real-world work-integrated learning opportunities to learners

2020 – House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology study on the Impact of COVID-19

May 1, 2020 | 245.98KB | Download pdf >

Key recommendations include:

  1. Targeted investments in polytechnic/college applied research capacity to scale up the critical support these institutions offer to SME partners
  2. Expanded funding to existing grant categories and broader eligibility criteria to ensure enterprises that need support can access it
  3. The temporary suspension of employer cash contributions on applied research activity

2020 – House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance study on the Impact of COVID-19

May 1, 2020 | 245.98KB | Download pdf >

Key recommendations include:

  1. Invest in Canada’s post-secondary infrastructure to ensure training can occur in an environment that responds to physical distancing and other safety protocols while also supporting “green” retrofits
  2. Support the digital adaptation of learning and training in Canada, enabling learners who will face challenges to in-person instruction and ensuring applied learning can be delivered in a broad range of new ways
  3. Empower Canadians to retrain and upskill at this critical juncture by offering all Canadian Emergency Response Benefit recipients a one-time boost to the Canada Training Benefit
  4. Enable the business- and innovation-enhancing services available at Canada’s polytechnics, ensuring they are positioned to support Canada’s small- and medium-sized enterprises
  5. Support the expanded participation of industry and non-profit partners in polytechnic applied research, ensuring all enterprises in Canada have the support they need to survive and thrive

Polytechnics & the Future of Work

March 18, 2020 | View the interactive compendium | 6.41MB | Download pdf >

Report after report on the future of work speaks to the skills that set humans apart, including dynamic problem-solving, teamwork and adaptability. The challenge is to develop the workforce we need today while empowering learners with the skills to succeed tomorrow. Canada’s polytechnics are ideally positioned to lead the charge. Among Canada’s post-secondary institutions, polytechnics have proven themselves to be adaptable, agile and well-connected to industry. They deliver up-to-date and in-demand skills across sectors and to all age groups. They support hands-on, applied and technology-enabled classroom and workplace learning. Best of all, they have the unique ability to pivot quickly as the ground shifts.

In this brief, learn how polytechnics are creating a work-ready talent pipeline that is prepared to take on the future of work, featuring:

  • Industry-responsive education
  • Industry-academic collaborative spaces
  • Mid-career retraining
  • Bridge training and advanced placement
  • Applied research

Environmental Leadership & Canada’s Polytechnics

February 14, 2020 | View the interactive compendium | 6.76MB | Download pdf >

The global climate emergency represents one of those rare occasions when the interests of youth, business and politics converge. Even as the social and economic impacts of climate change are increasingly apparent, questions persist about how to move forward and from where leadership will come.

At the intersection of talent development and business innovation, Canada’s polytechnics are well-positioned to address environmental sustainability in three important ways:

  • As publicly funded exemplars of net-zero and eco-friendly buildings, behaviours and experimentation
  • As hubs for the development of “green skills” among the thinkers and doers who will drive continuous improvement
  • As innovation intermediaries, helping businesses rethink their processes, products and systems

Polytechnic Applied Research: Building a Stronger Canada

November 15, 2019 | 7.12MB | Download pdf >

Applied research refers to an exceptionally broad range of supports delivered in response to industry demand. Polytechnic institutions across Canada mobilize state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and expertise to deliver solutions for partners across industrial and social sectors, often with the help of student talent. As a result, institutions have a flexible and agile applied research infrastructure that adapts to the unique requirements of a partner and their project. In most cases, intellectual property is retained by the business partner, creating an environment that amplifies the incentive for creative engagement and supports ongoing collaboration.

In this brief, we highlight a number of the projects underway and expertise available at our member institutions. Together, they showcase:

  • How applied research supports business development, leveraging innovation know-how to drive business performance
  • How applied research contributes to social development by leveraging innovation to improve life in Canada
  • How applied research is developing next-generation talent by leveraging innovation challenges