Canada initiates a $95 million skills-building program.

Posted November 8, 2021

According to estimates, the $95 million scheme is expected to bring in 16,000 college and undergraduate students by the year 2025. A new initiative called Global Skills Opportunity will help students gain skills that employers and the Canadian economy demand. The 2019 global education strategy announced a test. International Skills Opportunity removes financial, social, and logistical barriers for underrepresented students. It favors non-traditional destinations for minorities.

Colleges and Institutes Canada and Universities Canada will coordinate its delivery. This ambitious and pioneering program will transform thousands of young Canadians. “Their new global perspective and talents will shape their lives and work for decades,” Davidson added. Aiming to assist up to 11,000 students, the Outbound Student Mobility Pilot was part of the 2019 strategy. GSO targets Indigenous, low-income, and disabled students, although all Canadian post-secondary students qualify.

GSO will fund 124 initiatives at 56 Canadian universities and colleges, with international collaborators in over 100 countries. By the end of October 2020, 61 programs will get funding. According to CICan President Denise Amyot, this revolutionary program will allow more Canadian students to obtain the abilities required to compete in today’s global industry. In today’s increasingly globalized world, study and work abroad programs prepare students for success. Global Skills Opportunity is happy to work with our partners to offer this vital initiative.

Sonja Knutson, head of the Internationalization Office at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, said the GSO had been anticipated since a 2012 report on Canadian prosperity. This year’s IES will focus on student mobility. She told. “The epidemic then postponed the show. As a result, we have been anticipating the commencement of this financial scheme for nine years. Director Randall Martin of the BCCIE said the federal government is helping outbound mobility. The program aggressively promotes their participation to involve traditionally underrepresented students in study abroad or other outbound mobility programs. Examples include programs that support First Nations students moving around the province. It’s providential that we’re launching now,” he said.

The project financing will also assist Canada in diversifying the source countries of incoming international students, which is essential. (Except for the US, UK, Australia, and France, which are currently the most popular destinations for our students.) Travel advisories will determine student mobility, with student safety being prioritized. As a result of the pandemic, many colleges and universities developed or upgraded virtual mobility programs for students. This transition to next-generation mobility requires virtual or hybrid programs, Martin emphasized.

In the meanwhile, the Program Innovation Fund will “help institutions test new tools and techniques, adapt mobility programming to Covid-19, and provide the groundwork for the full program’s launch.” On the other hand, the University of Waterloo is working to identify and decrease barriers to exchange for students with disabilities, while Wilfrid Laurier University is working to understand better Indigenous students’ learning needs and hurdles linked to foreign education.

Tecnologico de Monterrey (Mexico), Universidad de San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador), University of Costa Rica (Costa Rica), University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia), and University of the Philippines (University of the Philippines) (Philippines). According to Gengatharan, the Innovation Fund enabled them to launch a program for Indigenous students in their communities. Indigenous students and partners from around the world collaborated to build this curriculum.

My participation in this event was one of the most moving and powerful I’ve ever had. Mr. Rowlands stressed the need to expand access and inclusivity across groups and interaction types. For Knutson at MUN, the program’s focus on non-traditional destinations and students is a plus. Students with impairments, low-income families, etc., must work closely with international offices to apply for this fund. “Working with new stakeholders to ensure student movement is safe, acceptable, and well-managed has been a great learning opportunity for international staff.”

Gengatharan, the GSO program, provides opportunities for students who would not otherwise have them, according to Gengatharan. As institutions and Canada’s global engagement grows, I hope we remember these ideas.