Canada’s Polytechnics: Education is Different Here
The world around us is changing quickly, as are the skills required in tomorrow’s workplaces. It is time for a bold approach to post-secondary education, one that delivers up-to-date and in-demand skills across sectors, supporting hands-on, applied and technology-enabled learning.
Ready to go? Look no further than Canada’s polytechnic institutions.
Polytechnic graduates are in high demand
We focus on giving learners a leg-up in the labour market. Our instructors are industry experts. Employers donate equipment and help us build our programs. They bring industry challenges to campus and engage with students to solve them.
Learning is hands-on and practical
Experiential education builds both competency and confidence in our students. It starts with workplace-authentic training in labs and workshops: developing robots in the manufacturing lab, working with the elderly in onsite clinics and care facilities, building net-zero houses in shops the size of football fields. We teach the theory, then let students roll up their sleeves and give it a try.
Programs are industry-driven
Work-integrated learning opportunities aren’t an add-on — they are part of virtually every program. This is a great way to apply in-class learning and develop critical workplace skills like problem-solving, communication and teamwork.
Graduates are ready to innovate
Innovation is part of our DNA. We build digital fluency into every program and experiment with new ways to deliver training. We inspire students to adopt an innovation mindset, pushing them to experiment and take risks. These skills — regardless of sector or occupation — are the foundation for career success.
Don’t believe us? See for yourself
Education is Different Here
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Featured posts
With increasing demand for mid-career upskilling, BCIT has recently launched three industry-relevant micro-credentials: mass timber construction, natural resource protection and digital transformation. Polytechnics Canada sat down with Tom Roemer, BCIT’s Vice President Academic, to discuss the new approach
Polytechnics Canada sat down for a conversation with author Michelle Weise to discuss her new book, Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don’t Even Exist Yet, and Peter Devlin, President of Fanshawe College, to discuss what Canada must do to get lifelong learning right.
Upskilling and reskilling, especially when it comes to digital fluency, is becoming increasingly important as technology evolves and its influence on the Canadian labour market becomes ubiquitous. Polytechnics Canada spoke with Sheridan marketing professors, Garrett Hall and Dr. Sujinda Hwang-Leslie about their Building Small Business Resilience Digital Marketing Training Program.
Canada’s polytechnics
Polytechnic education occupies a unique space at the intersection of learner and labour market. Programs are developed in direct response to business needs, drawing input from program advisory committees, engaging instructors from industry and providing learners with pragmatic experience. Practical learning opportunities prepare students for workplace challenges, ensuring graduates are job-ready and armed with the skills employers need across sectors.
Knowing that one size doesn’t fit all, polytechnics offer a breadth of credentials, including Bachelor’s degrees and apprenticeship technical training, graduate certificates, diplomas and continuing education programs. Flexible program design reflects the changing nature of work, offering an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to skills development, and including workplace experience that puts learning into context.
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Prominent alumni
With a passion for green energy, sustainability and the environment, long-time friends Gursh Bal (Pre-Employment Electrician ‘12, Electrician ‘16, SAIT) and Kai Fahrion (Electrician ‘14, SAIT) have grown their solar and energy-saving company, Virtuoso Energy, into a leader in Calgary’s renewable energy market.
Meti and Massi Basiri graduated from Conestoga College in 2014 and in 2015 they co-founded ApplyBoard. ApplyBoard is the world’s largest online platform for international student recruitment and is Canada’s second “edtech unicorn” company. In 2019, Forbes named Meti and Massi to three different Top 30 Under 30 lists.
Nick Bockstael
RRC Polytech grad Nick Bockstael has achieved career success as Vice-President of one of Manitoba’s leading construction companies, Bockstael Construction Inc. Bockstael graduated from RRC Polytech in 2006 with a diploma in Structural Engineering Technology.
After several years in the pipeline industry, Deanna Burgart (Chemical Engineering Technology ’00, SAIT) launched a unique engineering consulting firm, Indigenous Engineering Inclusion Inc., with a commitment to bridging the gaps between the energy industry, government and Indigenous communities.
Stephanie Henry is a 2016 graduate of Seneca’s Journalism program, a program for which she credits the experienced professors and co-op opportunities as part of her career success. She is currently a reporter, producer and on-air talent for Breakfast Television and Citytv.
Cheryl Hickey
Fanshawe alumna, Cheryl Hickey (Broadcast Journalism, ’96) has been host of Entertainment Tonight Canada since 2005 – a career that has seen her travel the world reporting from such entertainment hot spots as the red carpet at the Academy Awards to the world’s most famous film festivals.
James Hobson is the CEO of Hacksmith Industries and a 2012 graduate of Conestoga College’s Bachelor of Engineering – Mechanical Systems Engineering honours degree program. The Hacksmith Industries YouTube channel is the largest engineering-based channel in the world.
Steve McLellan is the CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, a position he has held since 2007. In 1979, Mr. McLellan graduated from the Hotel Administration diploma program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
Nicky Nash
Contributing to the community is second nature to Nicky Nash (BA ’08, SAIT). Nash’s passion for creating change inspired her to leave a marketing career working on Fortune 500 accounts to become the Executive Director of Kids Up Front Calgary, working with 230 partner agencies to distribute donated event tickets to underprivileged youth.
Sheila North
A 2006 graduate of RRC Polytech’s Creative Communications program, Sheila North spent the first nine years of her career in television, working as an award-winning journalist before transitioning to a career in politics. She recently returned to her first love – storytelling – as a reporter with CBC Manitoba.
To complement his previous university education, Parminder Sarna obtained his graduate certificate in Brand Management (2013) from Seneca. Sarna is the co-founder and president of the social marKit.
Rachel Schoutsen is a 2012 graduate of Conestoga College’s Videography – Broadcast Journalism/Documentary post-graduate program. Schoutsen’s work with The Weather Network, as Host Specializing in Health and Sponsorship, has taken her around the world and allowed her to apply the technical skills she developed while a student. She has returned to Conestoga as a part-time professor.
Ankit Sharma has earned two credentials from KPU’s Melville School of Business and is the founder and CEO of Kitply Industries, a cabinet hardware distributor that has grown to earn more than $5 million in revenue annually.
In 2019 Domee Shi (Sheridan Bachelor of Animation ’11) was awarded an Oscar for BestAnimated Short Film for her directorial debut, Bao. She is a storyboard artist with Pixar and is notably the first female director of a short from the studio.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vice-President of Advanced Manufacturing with CAD MicroSolutions Inc. and Sheridan alumni Hargurdeep Singh (Mechanical Engineering Technology – Design & Drafting ’15) helped fabricate face shields using CAD and 3D printing, openly sharing his design with anyone who could make use of it.
Randy Smallwood
BCIT mining alumnus Randy Smallwood leads one of the world’s largest precious metals streaming companies as CEO of Wheaton Precious Metals. Smallwood graduated from BCIT in 1991 with a mining engineering diploma and is a recipient of a BCIT Distinguished Alumni Award.
One of Canada’s journalism leaders and an award-winning investigative journalist at CBC, Diana Swain is the executive producer of The Fifth Estate. Swain graduated from BCIT in 1987 with a diploma in broadcast and media communications and is a BCIT Honorary Doctorate and Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.
Shmyla and Suveen Thandi are identical twins who have completed the KPU Welding Program and are succeeding at a young age in a traditionally male-dominated field. They are currently working together on the largest clean energy project in Canada: the Darlington Nuclear Refurbishment Project in Ontario.
Damian Warner
Fanshawe alumnus Damian Warner (Business Foundations, ’10) is an Olympic track and field athlete and gold-winning champion. This past August, the 31-year-old London native was the first Canadian to win the decathlon at the Olympic games.
