Image: OCAD U Printmaking and Publications students and faculty collaborate with CENTRO in Mexico City. Photo by Jennie Suddick.
More than 175 OCAD University students will gain global skills through the newly launched Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses and assignments, as part of the Government of Canada’s new Global Skills Opportunity program.
Officially launched today, this national outbound student mobility program is expected to enable more than 16,000 Canadian college and undergraduate-level university students from across the country acquire the global skills employers want and the Canadian economy needs.
This life-changing study opportunity will unlock students’ endless potential through global skills and experiences, with support to OCAD U from Global Skills Opportunity totalling $497,560.
“At a time when most of the challenges we face as a society require global cooperation, it is critical that will give our students opportunities to exchange ideas across borders and experience difference in tangible ways,” says Deanne Fisher, Vice-Provost, Students and International. “With the Government of Canada’s support, OCAD U will be able to open up opportunities to students who face barriers to travel and to connect students to the world.”
The virtual interdisciplinary collaborations are starting this fall, with plans for international travel experiences to begin in the spring of 2022. Several virtual and travel-based initiatives will allow OCAD U community members to directly collaborate with international peers and communities, particularly in Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.
While open to all Canadian post-secondary students, the national program targets groups for whom international experiences have traditionally been less accessible — specifically Indigenous students, students from low-income backgrounds and those with disabilities. It also aims to diversify destination countries where Canadian students pursue international learning.
“We are excited to receive this funding that will support our work to provide OCAD U students with access to a broader range of intercultural opportunities,” says Jennie Suddick, Manager, International Projects and Partnerships, OCAD U. “Through this program, the number of students engaging in international programs will increase twofold.”
After holding a call for project proposals and a rigorous selection process in summer 2021, Global Skills Opportunity is funding 124 projects at 56 universities and 54 colleges across the country. The funded projects are being run in collaboration with international partners in more than 100 countries over the next three and half years. More information about the program and funded projects is available on the Global Skills Opportunity website, also launched today.
Administered jointly by Colleges and Institutes Canada and Universities Canada, the program has been designed in a flexible manner that allows participating colleges, universities and institutes to customize projects to their students’ needs.
Given the backdrop of the pandemic, many postsecondary institutions created or improved tools and approaches to offer students innovative and meaningful virtual mobility programming. Projects that involve travel abroad will prioritize student safety and ensure wraparound supports and security measures are in place to support students while overseas.
Physical mobility will only be permitted in alignment with Government of Canada travel advisories.
By empowering post-secondary institutions to implement innovative solutions to barriers to participation, Global Skills Opportunity will expand the horizons of Canadian students from coast to coast to coast and improve Canada’s competitiveness on the world stage.