It’s In Our DNA
Polytechnics operate at the intersection of learner and labour market – where Canadians go to become job-ready and where businesses go for solutions. Because leadership is in our DNA!
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Skilled & Ready: Polytechnic Solutions for Canada’s Labour Market Demand
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
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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Restoring Canada’s healthcare system: The role of polytechnics
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.
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Strengthening economic resilience through access to talent and applied research
While Canada continues to contend with long-standing challenges – including lagging productivity, lack of housing supply and labour shortages in the health sector – a recent call to safeguard national interests comes amid geopolitical upheaval stemming from disruptive U.S. foreign policy.
For a sound response, Sarah Watts-Rynard, CEO of Polytechnics Canada, proposes bolstering collaboration between industry, government and post-secondary education with a common goal: to strengthen economic resilience.
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Book Summary: The Career Arts by Ben Wildavsky
In The Career Arts: Making the Most of College, Credentials & Connections, Ben Wildavsky explores the skills and experiences that best position learners for today’s world of work. Drawing on research, interviews and personal insights, he notes that today’s graduates increasingly require a combination of higher education credentials, hands-on experiences and a diverse network to navigate their careers.
Given alignment with the polytechnic model of education, we are delighted to have Ben Wildavsky attend the 2025 Polytechnic Showcase as our closing keynote. In addition to a complimentary copy of Wildavsky’s book, delegates will learn about his newest work which explores global approaches to flexible skills development and lifelong learning. Wondering what to expect? Here’s a brief summary of The Career Arts, which is divided into three sections.
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Submission to Finance Canada: Recommendations for Budget 2025
Canada is facing grave economic threats from its closest neighbour and long-time trading partner. While issues such as lagging productivity and sufficient housing supply are longstanding issues, U.S. tariffs and an American expansionist agenda have seized the attention of Canadians and policymakers alike. There is an urgent need to safeguard Canada’s interests and rally around pragmatic policy prescriptions. The urgency is undeniable. This must be the driving ambition for Budget 2025.
Polytechnics Canada’s recommendations to Finance Canada for Budget 2025 include:
- Support business innovation and derisk technology adoption by making significant new investments in polytechnic and college applied research
- Enable quick access to upskilling and reskilling with vouchers to offset the cost of training for employers and individuals
- Better position the skilled trades workforce to respond to demand for new housing, domestic manufacturing capacity and the renewal of transportation infrastructure by prioritizing the retention and completion of apprentices in high-demand trades
The Role of Polytechnics in Tech Adoption
No new idea, concept or technical advancement, whether intended to improve our health, protect the environment or revitalize an industry, can make meaningful impact until there is widespread adoption. Without it, potential is diminished and opportunities are squandered. This is why supporting adoption, particularly among Canada’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who play a critical role in the country’s economic wellbeing, is a crucial step on the innovation journey.
It will come as no surprise that many SMEs struggle with technology adoption. Despite ongoing efforts and good intentions, SMEs have competing priorities for limited resources. Government grants, tax incentives and programs that offer support are important avenues for democratizing technology adoption.
Funding changes affect labour-market-driven education capacity
At an annual event for bringing together industry and community leaders and representatives from the colleges and institutes sector, one construction company executive was asked how his organization stays up to date on technology, regulations and industry trends. The answer was simple: “We hire new graduates, who are exposed to all that in school and who come with fresh ideas and new energy.”
This is part of the value proposition of Canadian colleges and institutes, along with their mandate to educate career-ready graduates, says Sarah Watts-Rynard, CEO of Polytechnics Canada, an organization representing publicly supported polytechnics, colleges and institutes of technology.
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