News & Events
May 22, 2025 – OTTAWA – At its annual gathering of polytechnic leaders last week, Polytechnics Canada released a new report connecting critical labour market demand in five key sectors to the skills development programming offered at its member institutions.
Read More > “New Report: Polytechnics Address Major Labour Market Gaps”
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.
Read More > “Linking hands-on education at the 2025 Polytechnic Showcase”
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!
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:
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.
Read More > “Book Summary: Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre by Niigaan Sinclair”
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.
Read More > “Restoring Canada’s healthcare system: The role of polytechnics”
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.
Read More > “Strengthening economic resilience through access to talent and applied research”
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.
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:
