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Polytechnics: Canada’s best bet in an era of disruption and uncertainty

By Dr. Larry Rosia | August 15, 2025 | Originally featured in SaskToday

Olivia Haidl had always loved art and math but hadn’t found a way to bring those passions together – until she discovered the Architectural Technologies program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. The co-op work terms built into the program were one of its strongest selling points for her.

Olivia completed three co-op terms that complemented and strengthened the classroom learning she received. Each placement offered unique challenges and learning opportunities, from working on commercial buildings to small renovation projects. The experiences built her confidence, sharpened her skills, and helped her see where she could make a difference. By the time she graduated, she had a job offer in hand and a clear sense of purpose. “I’m always problem solving, always working on creative solutions,” she says. “I’m excited to keep learning.” 

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Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance – Budget 2025

August 1, 2025 | 810.37KB | Download pdf >

Polytechnics Canada’s recommendations for Budget 2025 are intended to capitalize on polytechnic capacity to deliver on an ambitious federal agenda to address lagging productivity indicators, renew defence spending and support strategic workforce development.

Recommendations include:

  • Increase baseline funding to the College and Community Innovation Program to $216M/year, driving innovation, derisking technology adoption and supporting commercialization of Canadian businesses
  • Establish a defence innovation fund to build on existing capacity at Canada’s post-secondary institutions as part of new national defence investments
  • Invest $50M over 5 years to strengthen cyber defence at Canada’s polytechnics and colleges
  • Introduce training vouchers to support workforce adjustment in critical sectors and ensure mid-career workers remain at the cutting edge of their fields
  • Better position the skilled trades workforce to respond to demand for new housing, domestic manufacturing capacity and renewal of transportation infrastructure by prioritizing the retention and completion of apprentices in high-demand trades

A stronger Canada needs a healthy post-secondary sector – so why are governments across the country abandoning institutions?

By Sarah Watts-Rynard | July 30, 2025 | A version was featured in the Vancouver Sun

The newly elected federal Liberal government has no shortage of ambition, outlining the ingredients for a robust economic transformation, with investments in artificial intelligence (AI), national defence and housing.  In this vision, Canada will become an energy superpower and, by removing internal trade barriers, a robust single economy less reliant on trade with a fickle southern neighbour.

The prospect is compelling.  But it relies, first and foremost on a skilled and ready workforce.  The kind of workforce that Canada’s post-secondary institutions develop in spades. So, why are governments across the country standing on the sidelines as higher education in Canada is eroded?

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Workforce development key to industry success

By Randall Anthony Communications | June 4, 2025 | Originally featured in The Globe and Mail

Accounting for more than 10 per cent of Canada’s GDP and for exports of over $354-billion annually, manufacturing is a powerful economic driver that spans industries ranging from aerospace and agrifood to medical devices, wood products and beyond.

Bolstering the sector’s potential resilience and growth depends on a workforce with up-to-date skills and competencies, says Sarah Watts-Rynard, CEO at Polytechnics Canada, an association representing research-intensive, publicly supported polytechnics and institutes of technology.

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Linking hands-on education at the 2025 Polytechnic Showcase

By Aaron Wepp | May 14, 2025 | Originally featured in the Winnipeg Free Press

Representatives from more than 10 Canadian polytechnics are in Winnipeg for an annual conference that allows them to share ideas and projects in progress.

The 2025 Polytechnic Showcase kicked off Wednesday at Red River College Polytechnic’s downtown campus.

Under the theme, “Propelling Canada’s productivity,” the two-day event is exploring how polytechnics — post-secondary institutions that offer applied and hands-on learning — are propelling the country toward a more prosperous future.

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Skilled & Ready: Polytechnic Solutions for Canada’s Labour Market Demand

April 29, 2025 | 2.58MB | Download pdf >

Polytechnics Canada worked with researchers at The Conference Board of Canada to illustrate the extent to which polytechnic education responds to labour market demand for talent in the five provinces where our member institutions are located. Using data from Vicinity Jobs, Statistics Canada and its proprietary Model of Occupations, Skills and Technology, The Conference Board assessed more than 2 million job postings in 2023, compared wages by credential and provided five-year job forecasts.

Key findings include:

  • The most in-demand skilled occupations can be found in five clusters: healthcare, skilled trades, information and technology, tourism and hospitality, and care occupations including childcare, social services and early education. All five clusters demonstrate robust hiring demand in 2023, despite cooling in the overall job market. Employment in these fields is projected to experience steady growth in the next five years.
  • Employment and job postings data reveal significant labour shortages in the five high-demand occupation clusters, particularly for skilled workers with post-secondary education. Job postings requiring apprenticeships, diplomas or certificates offered substantial wage premiums and increases in 2023.
  • Polytechnics Canada member institutions offer programming that prepares graduates to work in 86 per cent of in-demand skilled occupations within these five clusters.

Book Summary: Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre by Niigaan Sinclair

April 28, 2025

Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre is a compilation of 79 essays by Niigaan Sinclair, an Anishinaabe scholar and writer, as well as opening keynote at the 2025 Polytechnic Showcase. Divided into four parts – The Land, This Place, Streets and Rivers, and Gifts – the essays are concise and powerful, each offering a minute reflection of Indigenous life and experience in Canada.

The book speaks to the complexities of Indigenous life in Winnipeg, a city that is home to Canada’s largest urban Indigenous population with nearly 91,000 Indigenous residents (~12 per cent of its population) in 2021. It tackles themes of colonialism, resilience and reconciliation while exploring the stories and people behind the headlines.

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