September 10, 2026

CEWIL Canada has published a new report: Making Sense of the Signals: Employer Perspectives on WIL in Canada. The report discusses the findings of a national study of Canadian employers’ experiences with and perspectives on work-integrated learning (WIL) that was conducted by Academica Group. The study found that employers generally have positive views of WIL and are motivated by a mix of factors to participate. However, these employers shared the challenges they face in participating in WIL and pointed to the supports they most needed for participation in the future. The report offers four recommendations for enabling and strengthening employer WIL participation in Canada.

The Government of Ontario’s Superintendent of Career Colleges has issued a restraining order against Randolph College of Performing Arts, ordering it to cease operations. The college’s accreditation as a career college expired at the end of January, but ON states that it continued to operate and collect tuition from students. “The business must immediately cease all activities that constitute operating a career college, including recruiting or enrolling students in vocational programs, delivering or offering vocational programs, and charging or collecting tuition or other fees in respect of vocational programs,” states the order.

The University of British Columbia recently received nearly $2.9M as part of a federal investment into jobs, productivity, and growth in northern British Columbia. The investment will support a project focused on drone technology that involves the Stellat’en First Nation and the Village of Fraser Lake. The project will involve the testing and deployment of drone technology, workforce training, youth skills development, and pilot projects with the two northern communities. The investment is part of an $11M investment focused on addressing key industries affected by global trade disruptions.

Joël Blit (University of Waterloo) has written an article for the Globe and Mail calling for institutions to move from their current “defensive” approach to AI to actively leveraging the technology. Blit asserts that universities have an opportunity to leverage the technology in the classroom to refocus the role of the professor to that of a guide and mentor. Beyond the classroom, he notes that AI could improve student advising, research, and administration and make the campus experience an even more valuable part of higher ed. He concludes by emphasizing that “AI will transform higher education,” and that if universities are not involved in that process, then technology companies and competitors will define the sector’s future.

Northern Alberta Institute of Technology broke ground this week on its upcoming Advanced Skills Centre. The $779M facility represents the largest capital project in the polytechnic’s history and is designed to provide a boost to skilled trades supply in the province. “You’ve heard of all the major projects that are coming down the line here; all of them are going to need trades to be built, as well as all the schools, hospitals, houses,” explained NAIT President Laura Jo Gunter. “So this is going to be an incredible investment in the future of both our learners and the province as well.”

The University of Guelph has announced that it is now accepting applications for what it calls the province’s only university-level music theatre program. The Bachelor of Fine Arts – Music Theatre program will provide students with knowledge of stage design, prop building, and on-stage performance, while also providing interdisciplinary research experience. Students will also work alongside those enrolled in other programs on initiatives that include the production and performance of an annual musical . The program does not require an audition, which UoGuelph School of Fine Art and Music Director Dr Kimberly Francis explained will combat historic representation issues in the field. “We want to be a program that creates a space to imagine a different and better way together,” said Francis.

As voting day approaches for the Government of Québec’s provincial elections, Élections Québec is engaging students in the democratic process. Élections Québec will be holding polling stations at vocational training centres, cégeps, colleges and universities across the province to ensure students can participate. QC advised voters to seek out the specific hours and locations of their campus polling station on the Élections Québec website. Some students are running for office themselves, with Global News interviewing such candidates from three of the province’s political parties. Candidates discussed their experiences balancing their studies with door-knocking, as well as the challenges they face in winning their ridings.

The Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne has praised the Government of Canada’s decision to extend the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot until August 2027. The pilot project helped francophone universities outside of Québec to recruit international students by allocating permits specifically to French-speaking institutions in provinces with a francophone minority. ACUFC President Martin Normand noted that the study permit approval rate under the pilot has been nearly 70%, well above the Canadian average. The majority of ACUFC member institutions used most or all their quota in the program’s second year, according to Normand.

Dalhousie University’s Student Affairs team has launched a new program to support off-campus students as they adjust to university life. The off-campus student support and mentorship program is built around the components of mentorship, student support, and programming. First-year off-campus students are given access to a dedicated lounge in the Student Union Building, matched with an upper-year mentor before they start their classes, and invited to activities during orientation and throughout the academic year. The student-led program also has a mascot: the off-campus shark. “The experience that these students have will create a culture that feeds itself,” said Dal Associate Director of Student Experience Jack Killeen. “Students will want to come back and help support the incoming class as mentors.”

Cégep de Lanaudière’s business services division Évolu is expanding the courses offered at a low cost through its partnership with Services Québec. The partnership enables the institution to offer programs and courses to community members and workers in the Lanaudière region for $5 per hour. The new courses offered through this program include Spanish for business, a course on Microsoft Excel Macros and VBA, and artificial intelligence training.