Strengthening the System

CICan is also recognized as an international leader in education for employment and has worked in over 100 countries to support the development of post-secondary systems that meet the needs of students as well as local employers. CICan’s work leverages the expertise of our members to reduce poverty and inequality — especially for women, youth, and disadvantaged populations — by transforming post-secondary education systems and providing employment-focused training. CICan also hosts the secretariat for the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP) and is the Pan-Canadian Centre for UNESCO-UNEVOC, and the lead for the North American cluster of centres.

CICan is committed to govern and manage in accordance with the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act and in the best interests of our members. This includes supporting staff both personally and professionally, making evidence-based decisions, and managing assets to maximize value. Working with our Board of Directors, we embrace our role as a force multiplier for colleges and institutes and commit to delivering on the priorities of this strategic plan in order to strengthen the system.

CICan’s is deeply committed to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and our national office is located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation.

What excites me about the future of CICan is their ability to advocate for us as colleges and institutes to show value in the programs that we have as well as the students that we are producing to contribute not only to the local, provincial and national economy but to an increasingly globalized economy

CICan members are vibrant community hubs where experienced educators and professionals work with employers and community partners to provide learners the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly evolving job market. They are centres of expertise in applied research, entrepreneurship, and lifelong learning, offering a wide range of credentials and work-integrated learning opportunities to ensure that graduates are career-ready in all sectors of the economy. They welcome students of all different backgrounds and work to close educational gaps through flexible pathways, supporting vulnerable learners to succeed.

Colleges and institutes also contribute directly to Canadian innovation by working on applied research projects in collaboration with industry to solve real-world challenges, create new products, and improve processes. They also deliver professional and technical training in innovative ways: online, via simulation, mobile on-reserve, and more.

All of this makes them essential to the development of communities across the country and key players in Canada’s overall economic growth.

• Colleges, institutes, and those they have trained, generate over $190 billion in additional income to the national economy each year
• Colleges and institutes host more than 600 research centres labs across the country
• Colleges and institutes reported over 7,300 annual research partnerships
• Colleges and institutes are deeply committed to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples – over 65 have signed CICan’s Indigenous Education Protocol demonstrating the many ways they embrace this mandate

A French philosopher once said there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come and I do sense that at the national level we have an opportunity to step up, when you think of the skills agenda and the ability of colleges to be nimble and flexible in meeting the needs of not just today but of the occupational clusters of tomorrow