Our Roadmap to 2030
CICan is the high-touch and high-performing national association serving Canada’s public colleges, institutes, CEGEPs, polytechnics, and Indigenous Institutes of Education.
This Roadmap to 2030 is our guiding light to best serve our members – and in turn, serve Canada.
The path to Canada’s future runs through public colleges and institutes.
A Word from the President & CEO
This is a pivotal change moment for Canada and for our sector.
Canada must redefine its place in the world and will need strong public postsecondary institutions to do what we do best to deliver on national missions.
To move forward, we will need to evolve with intent, courage, and hope by design.
Your National Association
CICan is also at a strategic turning point. A strong CICan must empower its member colleges and institutes to thrive and lead boldly.
This Roadmap to 2030 is the result of more than a year’s worth of consultation, reflection, and listening. It sets out how your national association will convene, mobilize, and champion colleges and institutes for a strong and resilient Canada.
But it isn’t an end point – it is a living plan for transformation, owned by all of us.
The Roadmap to 2030
A lot is expected of us – and strategic choices will need to be made to ensure we continue to serve our communities and learners.
But there is also room for optimism.
I believe in a future where educators, employers, Indigenous and community leaders, entrepreneurs, labour, and governments work together in shared purpose – one where the full strength of our network is harnessed to meet the defining challenges facing Canada.
Where our graduates are the builders, makers, doers, growers, caregivers, first responders and innovators who are serving their communities with pride.
This Roadmap is our guiding light to empower the sector to deliver transformative results for Canada, and for Canadians.
Thank you to all those who shared their insights and participated in the discussions that led to this point. We were ably guided by O Strategies, whom I want to thank for a job well done, along with my own incredible Team CICan.
If we do this right, our institutions are empowered, our communities are thriving, the full potential of our graduates is unleashed – and ultimately Canada wins.
This is the future Canada’s colleges are building — together.
Pari Johnston
President and CEO
Colleges and Institutes Canada
What We Heard
We consulted our Board of Directors, members, regional and provincial college associations, partners, and CICan staff to make sure our direction matches your needs.
Here’s what we heard:
01
Be a Beacon and a Bridge
You told us you want CICan to be an indispensable national leader – while ensuring our voice reflects regional realities and strength in diversity.
How? Become the single source of truth on Canada’s colleges and institutes with sharp policy and public positioning, data-driven insights and intelligence, proactive thought leadership, and an authoritative, mobilizing force that aligns regional diversity into collective strength and impact.
Connect the dots from institutions to strategic national alignment.
02
Lead Through Disruption
You told us you want your national association to help members navigate change and disruption and work to ensure the viability and vitality of Canada’s public training system.
How? Identify priority areas for transformation and develop clear sector roadmaps to get there – with laser focus on rapid-response systems, high-quality communications for policy shifts, interprovincial dialogue, and resources for sector alignment.
Be a catalyst for major transformation and future-shaping leadership.
03
Evolve with Intent
You told us our power to convene is CICan’s unique strength – and asked us to elevate that core value proposition.
How? Double down on strategic activities that unite and align institutions, governments, and partners around shared priorities. Set an agenda that responds to the needs of our members and positions the sector for greater impact.
Make convening the engine that drives federal advocacy, sector innovation, and cohesion – and supports the next generation of college leadership.
04
Match Culture to Ambition
You told us organizational culture must match strategic ambition – and asked us to build the internal resilience and cutting-edge systems needed to drive external influence and help members excel.
How? Prioritize collaborative structures that break down silos, invest in professional development and wellness, and align resources to be the nimble, forward-looking, and high-performing association that best serves our members.
Build a culture that prioritizes people, collaboration, inclusion, and innovation.
Thank you for your invaluable feedback and for your support to your national association.
A Word from our Board of Directors
Pierre Zundel, Chair (2024–2026)
“In a period of profound change marked by uncertainty, disruption, and rising expectations of our public institutions, the Roadmap to 2030 strengthens CICan as a national association that is responsive, resilient, and aligned to the needs of the sector in this moment.
The Roadmap reflects a shared commitment to showing up wherever Canada needs us most – from training the workforce that builds our communities, to cultivating strategic regional partnerships, to helping employers innovate, adapt, and grow. It also affirms CICan’s responsibility to advance Indigenization and reconciliation in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, and to reinforce national priorities that contribute to the vitality of the Francophonie as a pillar of a strong and resilient Canada. CICan’s ability to mobilize its members and partners has never been more vital to elevating the sector’s impact and meeting this pivotal change moment with unity, purpose, and resolve.”
—Pierre Zundel, Chair of the Board of Directors (2024–2026), and President of the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB)
Carolyn Campbell, Vice Chair (2024–2026)
“The Roadmap to 2030 invites us to look ahead with confidence and optimism. It reflects a belief that when colleges and institutes are connected, aligned, and empowered, opportunity turns into action – for learners, for communities, and for the country.
CICan is the national table where shared purpose becomes real progress, and where strong colleges help build stronger, more inclusive communities across Canada. As we move forward together, I am inspired by the creativity, commitment, and leadership across our network. If we stay focused on what unites us, the years ahead will see our sector not only respond to change but help shape the kind of Canada we want to become.”
— Carolyn Campbell, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors (2024–2026) and President and CEO of NorQuest College
Our Vision
Strong Colleges. Strong Communities. Strong Canada.
Our vision is a prosperous Canada, driven by strong communities, and empowered by strong colleges.
Our Mission
We convene, mobilize, and champion our members for a strong and resilient Canada.
Convene
Mobilize
Champion
Our Values
In everything we do, we are guided by trust, inclusion, innovation, collaboration, and reciprocity.
Trust
We are reliable and accountable.
Inclusion
We value and integrate different perspectives and experiences.
Innovation
We think creatively and outside the box.
Collaboration
We work together for shared goals.
Reciprocity
We build and nurture strong mutually respectful relationships.
This is how we show up when we work at CICan.
Our Commitment
We commit to integrating Indigenous ways of knowing and being across CICan’s structures, governance, work, and environment.
With a focus on continuous learning and actioning, we commit to fostering an environment that supports Indigenous cultural awareness, competency, readiness, and safety.
We amplify the leadership and work of our members in advancing Indigenization and reconciliation, while striving to be stronger partners and allies to Indigenous Peoples and communities.
Convene. Mobilize. Champion. Excel.
Our Four Strategic Pillars
Through four strategic pillars, we align strategy and resources to deliver impact.
Convene
To serve as the trusted national table where post-secondary education, governments, industry, and labour align in shared purpose and action.
We are the national table where ambition becomes alignment.
We bring together the builders of Canada’s future workforce and innovation ecosystem – educators, employers, Indigenous and community leaders, entrepreneurs, labour, and governments – to turn vision into coordinated action for Canada’s long-term prosperity and productivity.
As the trusted steward of Canada’s college ecosystem, we connect evidence to policy, and policy to practice — ensuring that Canada’s skills and innovation agenda reflects the diversity and dynamism of the communities we serve.
Strategic Initiatives
Serve as the trusted national hub for Canada’s college system and for cutting edge sectoral data, insight, and intelligence — powering system-level nowcasting, forecasting, and policy innovation.
Catalyze national tables with skills, business, Indigenous, labour and government partners to co-create workforce action plans in priority sectors & missions.
Bring together innovation leaders & partners to develop a made-in-Canada approach to productivity, commercialization and local economic development.
Curate visionary, sector-wide dialogues with system leaders to refine our models of education and sustain the viability & vitality of Canada’s college system.
Build out the CICan Academy for College Leadership to drive institutional renewal, leadership development, and succession planning.
Expand regional and thematic initiatives to deepen member engagement and amplify impact.
Mobilize
To harness and scale the full strength of our network to meet the defining challenges facing Canada.
We turn sector capacity into national impact.
By activating the collective strengths of our national and international network, we design and test system-wide solutions, disseminate knowledge and learning, and scale member-led coalitions that tackle Canada’s biggest challenges.
We transform local innovation into national systems change.
Strategic Initiatives
Build member-led coalitions to drive national solutions for defence readiness, housing supply, AI adoption, and energy innovation, optimizing scarce public resources for maximum impact.
Create national solutions labs to share best practices among members, accelerate system innovation, and enable transformative change.
Support Indigenous-led approaches and partnerships to advance economic reconciliation and community prosperity.
Leverage our global partnerships and expertise to advance Canada’s international economic partnership approach through education and workforce development.
Federate sector-wide qualifications frameworks to promote pan-Canadian recognition and enhance learner and labour mobility.
Deploy export services support to help members enter new markets, diversify partnerships, and grow their revenues.
Champion
To position Canada’s colleges and institutes as a driving force of community and nation-building.
We make the case that the path to Canada’s future runs through its dynamic colleges and institutes.
As Canadian communities and the country face major demographic, economic, social and technological head and tailwinds, we navigate them with confidence and resolve. We position our members as the indispensable engines of national renewal — powering opportunity, innovation, and inclusive growth in every region and for every Canadian.
Investing in colleges and institutes is investing in Canada’s future prosperity, workforce resilience, and shared well-being.
Strategic Initiatives
Craft a sector-wide brand and impact narrative — rooted in our skilled graduates, regional strengths and a nation-building vision — to advocate for inclusive policy, stronger federal investment, and new opportunities for members.
Establish new engagement mechanisms within the federal public service to elevate sector brand, knowledge, and partnership.
Strengthen interprovincial collaboration in post-secondary policy and advocacy to secure sustainable funding and operating models.
Drive collective member action to advance reconciliation through education, research, and innovation.
Excel
To lead by example, we are guided by innovation, collaboration, and inclusion in how we show up for our members.
We put to work the values of trust, inclusion, innovation, collaboration, and reciprocity to demonstrate the impact of our sector.
Driven by excellence, we continually evolve to meet—and exceed—the expectations our members place in their national organization.
A strong CICan empowers colleges and institutes to thrive and lead boldly – and Canada and its communities thrive.
Strategic Initiatives
Unite Team CICan around a shared set of values and actions that guide how we serve members every day.
Co-create an Indigenization Plan to anchor our commitment to reconciliACTION in all that we do.
Drive digital transformation and AI adoption to strengthen collaboration, efficiency, innovation, and impact across the organization.
Create clear pathways for continuous learning and professional growth.
Modernize our governance and membership frameworks to ensure cohesion, impact, and a high value proposition to members.
Build a sustainable and diversified financial base to ensure long-term strength and responsiveness to member priorities.
What We’ll Achieve
Strategic Outcomes by 2030
This Roadmap is our guiding light to empower the sector to deliver transformative results for Canada. If we do this right, by 2030, we’ll build a future where:
01
Canada’s public colleges are recognized and resourced as essential federal partners in nation-building.
02
CICan is recognized as the national table for sectoral alignment and impact.
03
Our work within CICan and across the sector leads to progress on Reconciliation.
04
Intentional coalitions and member-led initiatives drive solutions on Canada’s national missions.
05
CICan is an employer of choice with a unified and high performing Team CICan.