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Home / Media & Resources / Perspectives: The Blog / What I See in a United Public College and Institute Sector
March 17, 2025

What I See in a United Public College and Institute Sector

What’s on My Mind? With Pari Johnston.

I’m fresh off a mission to Washington D.C. with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce where I met with key U.S. industry leaders, political influencers, and my postsecondary association counterparts south of the border to discuss – among other things – what Canada needs most to safeguard economic stability, protect jobs, and drive innovation.

The conversations were fruitful and strategic, and I was struck by the appetite for unity and shared purpose. Amid challenging Canada-US relations and an uncertain political and economic landscape at home, a united public college and institute sector is a safety net Canadians can rely on.

Meeting the Moment Together

At CICan, we take our role in bringing together voices from across the sector seriously. We hear concerns and ideas from our members, gather and distill insights, and turn that intel into engagement that can drive new opportunities for growth.

  • Our Futures Forum is the college and institute sector’s premier convening platform, designed to ignite national conversations on the emerging trends and system-wide transformation that serve Team Canada.

Through it all, Canada’s public colleges and institutes are driving the conversation with purpose – they’re asking bold and strategic questions.

  • How can we develop new national approaches to workforce development in critical sectors of national importance for Canada (e.g. critical minerals and nuclear energy)?
  • How can we leverage and scale technology to enhance learning and institutional efficiency and outcomes?
  • How can we co-develop and scale procurement, program delivery and/or credit evaluation and transfer solutions that will drive system transformation?
  • How do we redesign and refocus the postsecondary sector to meet Canada’s moment?

These are some of the real-time sectoral trends, emerging issues, and forward-focused strategies that will drive the agenda at CICan’s first-ever Leaders Summit – our Futures Forum’s flagship event.

At moments like these, coming together matters more than ever. These critical discussions will ensure Canada’s public colleges and institutes remain agile, impactful, and equipped to serve Canadian businesses, Canadian workers, and Canadian-made solutions.

Agility and Leadership

Our network prepares nearly 800,000 learners in urban, rural, remote, and northern communities with more than 10,000 programs across all sectors, conducts more than 8,000 applied research projects annually, and adds over $190 billion to Canada’s economy each year.

We are part of Team Canada. Canada’s public colleges and institutes train the builders, growers, makers, caregivers, first responders, innovators, and job creators that Canadians depend on.  We can be counted on to help Canada build and do big things, especially as we pivot to new markets both within Canada and around the world.

  • As a sector, we ensure we have a skilled workforce to meet housing and healthcare demands, ensure workers are equipped to thrive in resource-intensive and digital industries, and makes Canada’s small businesses more innovative, efficient, and productive.

As leaders, colleges and institutes are the ones driving the conversations that will take Canada where it needs to go – thinking proactively and strategically about what Canadians need from our institutions, and engaging government, industry, and other partners to meet Canada’s – and the world’s – biggest challenges.

A federal election is likely to be called in the coming days.

The future may be uncertain, but the leadership, unity, and commitment of public colleges and institutes to Team Canada are not. The moment to capitalize on strategy, new thinking, and system-wide action is now.

  • Canada needs what public colleges do best: workforce readiness; anticipating future skills and innovation needs on the ground, regularly reviewing and developing adaptive learning models, creating opportunities for micro-credentialing and robust work-integrated learning programs.

When public colleges and institutes thrive, their communities thrive. When they come together on the national stage, they build our country.

In a unified public college and institute sector, I see a resilient, competitive, and prosperous future for all Canadians.

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