nursing Archives - Polytechnics Canada

Program Preview: Parity of Esteem for the Skilled Trades

By Dr. David Burns, Laura McDonald | April 10, 2026 | 638.21KB | Download pdf >

Polytechnic institutions play an important role when it comes to developing Canada’s skilled trades workforce, training some 70 per cent of apprentices actively progressing toward certification. Even more importantly, polytechnics are considering how best to support career progression and continuous learning. At Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), they are working to create new pathways for tradespeople into undergraduate education.

Polytechnics Canada caught up with Dr. David Burns, Associate Vice-President, Academic, and Laura McDonald, Dean of the Faculty of Trades and Technology, to learn more about KPU’s efforts to foster parity of esteem for skilled trades learners.

Program Preview: Building Skills for the Canadian Military

By Darlene O'Neill, Lieutenant-Colonel Carlo Tittarelli | April 9, 2026

Ahead of the 2026 Polytechnic Showcase, we connected with Fanshawe to discuss their session, Innovation in Education in Action: Canada’s First Post‑Secondary Military Co‑op. We sat down with Lieutenant-Colonel Carlo Tittarelli, Assistant Chief of Staff at the 31 Canadian Brigade Group, and Darlene O’Neill, Fanshawe’s Military Connected College Lead Administrator, to learn more about their partnership.

Restoring Canada’s healthcare system: The role of polytechnics

By Alexandra Hornby | April 7, 2025

Canada’s healthcare system is under duress. Wait times for surgical and other therapeutic treatments were 198 per cent longer in 2023 than in 1993. More than one in five Canadians don’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner and 60 per cent of those who do can’t get a same-day or next-day appointment.

While government investments in healthcare are critical, one of the biggest challenges that Canada’s healthcare system faces is timely and affordable access. This is where polytechnic institutions make important contributions, readying the future workforce, supporting sector innovation and by working directly within their communities to deliver healthcare training and services.