finance submission

Eight international partnerships are underway between Canadian polytechnic institutions and Irish technological universities and institutes of technology. These projects represent the first phase of collaborative activity to develop common tools, experiment with new ways to deliver teaching and learning, and encourage faculty and students to engage with their international counterparts around common challenges. Beginning in September 2025 and continuing for up to 18 months, the following projects will explore the integration of augmented and virtual reality, build artificial intelligence fluency and encourage connection through joint projects, communities of practice and online learning.

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