The long-anticipated Global Skills Opportunity is officially here, and it’s making international learning experiences more accessible to Canadian post-secondary students! In numbers: Over four years, 54 colleges and institutes and 56 universities will implement a total of 124 GSO-funded projects in collaboration with international partners in over 100 countries.
- More than 16,000 Canadian students – especially those for whom such experiences have traditionally been less accessible – will acquire the global skills employers want and the Canadian economy needs!
What better way to wrap up International Education Week than a look at some of these new opportunities?
- At Selkirk College and the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, students will have opportunities to work alongside local professionals in nursing and human service fields like gender-based violence prevention and community health outreach programs in Jamaica and in Uganda.
- At Sault College, I’M SIENT (International Mobility Supporting Indigenous Entrepreneurs) will pair Indigenous students and faculty with their counterparts at Universidad Polytechnic Yucatan.
- There, participants will learn about Yucatan Indigenous cultures and apply knowledge in real-life ecosystems with Indigenous entrepreneurs in the region!
- Northern Lights College will be leading a project that brings together five northern institutions from BC, Yukon, and Northwest Territories to create and deliver international study and work experiences.
- The project will contribute to global engagement in northern communities and emphasize Indigenous education in countries like Chile, Costa Rica, Brazil, Finland, and New Zealand!
- At BCIT, the International Connections for Digital Transformation project will enable students to gain skills and knowledge related to data analytics, Internet of Things, and remotely-piloted systems in partner countries abroad.
- Students will also learn how the similarities and differences in technology adoption can transform environments and cultures.
- At Cégep de Rimouski 144 students will be able to participate in intercultural experiences in three streams (international cooperation, introduction to research, or health-related internships) in one of seven safe and non-traditional destinations!
- North Island College is expanding its study abroad options to support customized, student-centered, versatile, and sustainable place-based learning. Students will have the opportunity to learn in their communities and take local learning internationally to explore social, economic, and environmental sustainability!
- Students at Marine Institute in Newfoundland will gain important global competencies and be better prepared to succeed in sustainable ocean industries through both virtual programming and experiential immersion in the Caribbean blue economy.
- At Collège Montmorency, new bursaries will support more diversity in international experiences. In particular, Indigenous students, students with disabilities, and low-income students will be able to participate in international experiences that align with their career aspirations and learning needs.
- At NAIT, students will have the opportunities to learn intercultural competencies working on a clean-energy project in a rural, off-grid community in Peru.
- On site, students will work alongside locals to bring energy access to people in need by installing solar photovoltaics, energy storage, and LED lighting!
- And at New Brunswick Community College, Bridge the Ocean will provide new opportunities for students to participate in learning, teaching, and training activities abroad in the fields of Hospitality and Green Construction.
- Explore all 124 GSO-funded projects.
In an increasingly globalized world, study and work abroad programs are invaluable learning experiences that ensure students are culturally literate, resilient, adaptable, and ready to succeed. With Universities Canada, our new national mobility program is here to make that a reality!