Top Ten News

May 13, 2024 • SK

The Government of Saskatchewan has announced a $51.2M investment to expand health care training opportunities in the province. The funding will add new training seats and support the development of four new training programs: Occupational Therapy, Speech Language Pathology, Physician Assistant and Respiratory Therapy. The investment will also be used to expand the number of seats available in nursing programs at postsecondary institutions such as North West College, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, and the University of Regina. “Expanding nursing education seats not only enriches the educational journey of aspiring nurses by granting them access to top-notch instruction but also serves as a proactive response to the growing demand for skilled health care professionals,” said North West President Dr Eli Ahlquist.

SK, Battlefords Now

Top Ten News

May 13, 2024 • AB

Encampments and protests formed on the campuses of the University of Alberta and University of Calgary late last week. At UAlberta, a group of students and community members reportedly established an encampment on the university’s Main Quad. The group is calling for both UAlberta and MacEwan University to disclose their financial investments and issue statements of their “condemnation of this genocide.” Similar calls for action were made at UCalgary, where an encampment formed Thursday morning. The Calgary Herald and City News report that police issued a notice that demonstrators who attempted to stay overnight would risk being charged with trespassing; police removed any remaining makeshift fencing and tents in the evening. “Members of the campus community are free to protest but they are not free to camp,” read a statement from the university.

Global News, The Gateway (UAlberta), Calgary Herald (UCalgary), City News (UCalgary)

Top Ten News

May 13, 2024 • NS

Mount Saint Vincent University will receive a combined $5M from the Government of Canada and Government of Nova Scotia to support the expansion of its childcare centre. The centre expansion, valued at $10M overall, will ensure greater access to childcare in the region by creating 82 more child-care spaces and up to 32 infant spaces. In addition to creating these spaces, MSVU President Joël Dickinson explained that the expanded centre will enable “expanded teaching capacity in support of greater numbers of students pursuing early childhood education as their chosen profession.”

NS, Winnipeg Free Press (CP), Haligonia

Top Ten News

May 13, 2024 • National

CBC reporters Mike Crawley and Valerie Ouellet recently investigated the “mismatch” of international student recruitment with job market needs. Crawley and Ouellet present data showing that the majority (27%) of study permits approved or extended from 2018 to 2023 were for students in business. By comparison, only 6% of permits were for students in health sciences, medicine, and biological and biomedical sciences programs and only just over 1% were in trades and vocational training programs. Toronto Metropolitan University Associate Professor Rupa Banerjee told CBC that these numbers show that international student recruitment has not been aligned with Canada’s demand for skilled workers, resulting in students being used as expendable temporary foreign workers.

CBC

Top Ten News

May 13, 2024 • PEI, SK

Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the Government of Prince Edward Island have signed a brokerage agreement to increase training options for internationally educated nurses. The purpose of the agreement is to help meet the growing demand for nurses in PEI. Under the agreement, Sask Polytech will offer its Transition to Registered Nursing in Canada and Registered Nurse Bridging Program for Internationally Educated Nurses to eligible learners in PEI. The hybrid program’s theoretical components will be offered online, with the labs and practice education setting experiences delivered in person in PEI.

PEI, CTV News

Top Ten News

May 13, 2024 • NS

Acadia University’s Students’ Union (ASU) has pledged $2M to support the Build: The Student Centre campaign, bringing the $24M campaign to its halfway mark. Acadia states that the revitalized student centre will be a hub for student life, learning, and leadership and will offer spaces for students from different backgrounds, health and counselling services, accessible learning resources, and more. “This pledge by the Students’ Union is a meaningful endorsement of the love students have for Acadia,” said ASU General Manager Alicia Johnson. “The new student centre will grow to meet their needs, and we will be able to support their transition to university life better and help them thrive.”

Acadia

Top Ten News

May 13, 2024 • BC

The British Columbia Institute of Technology has announced that its Occupational Health and Safety diploma program and Advanced Safety Management certificate program are now accredited by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). IOSH accreditation verifies that the programs meet international standards for safety and health education. Program graduates will be eligible for Technical Membership with IOSH after one year of professional experience. Members have access to networking opportunities and professional development resources through IOSH. BCIT says it is the first postsecondary institution to receive IOSH accreditation in North America.

BCIT

Top Ten News

May 13, 2024 • AB

MacEwan University has officially broken ground on its new School of Business building in downtown Edmonton. The new building will include classrooms, collaboration spaces, and study spaces, and will be part of the work to revitalize the city’s downtown core. The building will help grow the number of students on campus by accommodating 7,500 additional students. “We are extending our infrastructure in a way that translates into research, community partnerships, business collaborations and connections that meet industry needs,” said MacEwan President Dr Annette Trimbee.

MacEwan

Top Ten News

May 13, 2024 • International

In an article for the evoLLLution, Vistasp Karbhari (University of Texas) suggests that generative AI and other recent advances could help improve access to higher education by overturning scarcity-based justifications. Karbhari argues that institutions often feel they cannot offer broader access to higher education due to a lack of assets like adequate student supports, suitable locations or buildings, well-qualified faculty and staff, or supports for pathways. Generative AI could help address each of these areas of scarcity, explains the author, by taking on roles such as a 24/7 course tutor to rural and remote learners or by assessing and creating individual learner pathways toward the learner’s preferred career. To fulfill education’s promise of being the “great equalizer,” Karbhari concludes that institutions will need to thoughtfully and responsibly embrace AI in this mission.

The evoLLLution
Opinion

Top Ten News

May 13, 2024 • BC

Vancouver Community College will launch two tuition-free adult upgrading pathways this summer, thanks to support from the Government of British Columbia. The programs will be tailored to adult learners and mature students who may have had interrupted or incomplete learning. One pathway will support Indigenous learners with customized learning approaches, providing a low barrier introduction to postsecondary education. The other pathway will help adult learners upgrade high school math and science courses to prepare them to enter health care assisting, nursing, practical nursing, and dental care programs. Both programs are tuition free and open to domestic students.

VCC