Home / Upcoming Events / Global Engagement Mission: Mexico–Colombia

Global Engagement Mission: Mexico–Colombia

February 8 - 19, 2027

Mexico and Colombia

Advancing skills, innovation and education partnerships aligned with Canada–Mexico and Canada–Colombia priorities

Proposed dates: Monday, February 8–Friday, February 19, 2027
Markets: Mexico and Colombia
Format: In-market global engagement mission with curated B2B meetings, technical briefings, institutional visits and sector-focused partnership activities

Why Mexico and Colombia?

Mexico and Colombia offer strong potential for recruitment diversification, exploring transnational education engagement, institutional partnerships, and applied workforce training. This mission responds to strong member interest in Latin America and focuses on the priorities most frequently identified in CICan’s EOI analysis.

Mexico will focus on national partnerships, innovation, advanced manufacturing, clean energy and digital transformation. Colombia will focus on recruitment diversification, academic pathways, institutional partnerships and regional workforce collaboration related to Infrastructure, energy transition, and applied research.

Overview

Colleges and Institutes Canada invites member institutions to join a focused global engagement mission to Mexico and Colombia, developed with support from the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service. The mission will advance recruitment diversification, transnational education engagement, contract training, applied research, and workforce-development partnerships in two priority Latin American markets.

The Mexico component aligns with the Canada–Mexico Action Plan 2025–2028, creating timely opportunities for colleges and institutes to support skills, innovation, applied research, and inclusive economic growth.

The program is designed to move beyond exploratory engagement by connecting members with vetted partners, practical market intelligence, and follow-up opportunities that can lead to revenue generation and applied-research outcomes.

Who Should Participate

This mission is best suited to CICan member institutions that are ready to pursue one or more of the following: recruitment diversification in Latin America; transnational education engagement, joint programming, articulation or curriculum agreements; corporate training, micro-credentials and workforce upskilling/reskilling; applied research and innovation partnerships; or sector strengths in digital skills, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, agri-food, health, mining, logistics or technical education.

Priority Partnership Areas

Recruitment and pathway partnerships
Transnational education engagement and program-delivery partnerships
Employer-facing training and micro-credentials
Applied research and industry innovation
Digital and technical skills training

Program Route

Market	Proposed cities	Program focus
Mexico	Mexico City and Guadalajara	Embassy and Trade Commissioner Service briefings, agent and business partner B2B meetings, institutional engagement, innovation ecosystem visits, advanced manufacturing, digital transformation, port/logistics connectivity, energy transition and applied research opportunities.
Colombia	Bogotá and Medellín	Trade Commissioner Service briefing, private higher education and pathway discussions, curated B2B meetings, institutional visits, workforce development, TNE opportunities and applied training partnerships. Infrastructure, energy transition, and applied research opportunities.

Program Highlights

Market briefings from the Trade Commissioner Service and relevant Canadian government partners
Curated B2B meetings with vetted recruitment, institutional and business partners
Institutional and industry visits aligned with member interests and priority sectors
Targeted discussions on transnational education, curriculum agreements, articulation pathways and contract training
Opportunities to explore employer-led workforce development needs and applied research collaboration
Dialogue on innovation, responsible AI, digital transformation, energy transition, agri-food, ports/logistics and sustainable growth
Delegation debriefs and follow-up planning to support measurable post-mission outcomes

Expected Mission Outcomes

Market intelligence on Mexico and Colombia’s education, skills, recruitment and partnership landscape
Curated contacts with vetted institutional, industry, agent, government and sector-association partners
Shortlisted opportunities for TNE, pathway development, recruitment partnerships, contract training or applied research collaboration
A clearer understanding of where each institution’s capabilities match local market demand
Potential leads for paid pilots, micro-credentials, curriculum agreements, train-the-trainer models or employer-facing workforce solutions
A post-mission follow-up plan with prioritized leads, ownership, timelines and next steps

Registration

Registration details, final participation fees and payment instructions will be confirmed once program costs, venue arrangements and partner contributions are finalized. Participants are expected to be responsible for international travel, accommodation, ground transportation, meals not included in the program and any individual travel costs.

Additional Information

Program contact: Kiley Fithen, Senior Project Officer, International Marketing and Recruitment
Partner support: Canadian Trade Commissioner Service in Mexico and Colombia

Schedule

Date	Activity
February 8, 2027 – Mexico City	Delegates arrive in Mexico City. Optional evening welcome and orientation for confirmed participants, with a focus on mission objectives, institutional priorities and sector-matching themes.
February 9, 2027 – Mexico City: Embassy	National market and partnership briefing. Trade Commissioner Service and government briefings on Mexico’s education, skills and commercial landscape; Canada–Mexico Action Plan alignment; recruitment diversification; TNE readiness; and priority sectors including digital skills, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, health technologies and applied technical education. Business development and employer-facing training day. Morning B2B/B2G meetings with sector associations, employers, chambers and government skills bodies seeking Canadian applied-training solutions.
February 10, 2027 – Mexico City: ANUIES	Institutional partnerships and TNE day. Curated meetings with Mexican higher education institutions, technical institutes, pathway partners and potential TNE counterparts. Discussions focused on joint programs, curriculum agreements, articulation pathways, cohort recruitment, mobility, bilingual/Spanish-language delivery considerations and train-the-trainer models.
February 11, 2027 – Mexico City / Guadalajara	Morning transfer to Guadalajara, with an evening delegation debrief and preparation for industry visits.
February 12, 2027 – Guadalajara	Innovation, advanced manufacturing and digital skills day. Site visits and roundtables with technology, electronics, semiconductors, automotive/EV, logistics, and innovation partners. Program emphasis on paid short-course pilots, micro-credentials, applied R&D, industrial digitalization, responsible AI, OT/ICS cybersecurity, predictive maintenance and workforce upskilling.
February 13, 2027 – Guadalajara / Bogotá	Travel from Mexico to Colombia. Internal Mexico debrief, capture of follow-up leads, and preparation for Colombia meetings. Evening arrival in Bogotá where possible.
February 14, 2027 – Bogotá	Arrival buffer and optional cultural/context briefing. Delegates prepare institutional profiles, priority asks and partner-matching objectives for Colombia.
February 15, 2027 – Bogotá	Colombia market entry and institutional partnership day. Curated meetings with vetted student recruitment agents focused on promoting Canadian college and institute programs and academic pathways. Trade Commissioner Service briefing on Colombia’s education, recruitment and skills landscape, followed by meetings with universities, technical institutions, pathway partners and education associations. Focus on, articulation, mobility, TNE, applied research and sustainable institutional partnerships. Structured matchmaking with vetted agents, institutional recruiters, private higher education partners,
February 16, 2027 – Bogotá	Site visit: Applied research in Energy transition. Workforce development and training
February 17, 2027 – Medellín	Applied training, workforce and industry partnership day. Meetings with regional institutions, employers and sector partners focused on technical workforce training, infrastructure, energy transition and applied research opportunities.
February 18, 2027 – Medellín	Partnership conversion and next-step agreements. Follow-up meetings with highest-potential partners, pilot scoping, commercial/TNE opportunity validation, delegation synthesis and confirmation of next steps, including priority leads, ownership, timelines and post-mission follow-up.
February 19, 2027 – Return travel	Delegates depart Colombia for Canada.

CICan’s Code of Conduct & Duty of Care

CICan is committed to providing a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment at all events. Attendees are expected to act considerately toward others’ health and wellbeing, follow public health guidance if unwell, and uphold the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Learn more