As Canada faces an imperative to diversify our trading relationships, make gains in emerging markets, and build new global ties, our long-term success and resilience depends more than ever on our people.
Our builders, makers, growers, caregivers, and first responders need a global perspective that includes the ability to adapt to unfamiliar environments, communicate across cultures, think on their feet, and bring fresh insights, ideas and innovations to employers facing local and global challenges. These are the very skills thousands of Canadian students developed through Global Skills Opportunity (GSO).
A Transformative Model
Wrapping up this past March, Global Skills Opportunity was a joint program between Colleges and Institutes Canada and Universities Canada and funded by the Government of Canada making international learning experiences more accessible for Canadian post-secondary students.
- In the past five years, nearly 15,000 Canadian students lived, worked, and studied in more than 100 countries through GSO. There, they broadened their perspectives, launched promising careers, gained a deeper understanding of the world and their place in it, and built global ties that put Canada in a place to lead.
- Crucially, three-quarters of participants identified as Indigenous, had a disability, or came from low-income backgrounds—young people who’ve historically faced the steepest barriers to international experiences.
- In each case, students come home more culturally literate, resilient, adaptable, and ready to succeed with the relevant skills employers want and the Canadian economy needs.
- Testimonials: Explore their stories at the GSO Alumni Hub.
- Empowering the Future: Hear from GSO’s Ambassadors.
A Skilled, Agile and Mobile Workforce
For Canada’s workers, global experience translates into career readiness and the in-demand skills and new insights that give our builders, makers, and doers a competitive edge. For the country, it means more resilient global networks and more productive and competitive Canadian businesses we need to get the big things done.
As the new government outlines its ambitions to build a unified national economy and skilled workforce, strengthen trade by pivoting to new partners, secure the country, and protect our values, skill-building programs like GSO leave a legacy of impact for Canada’s next generation that can’t be ignored.