Charting the Course: The Future of Higher Education in Canada

In 2023 and 2024, ICTC convened six roundtables to discuss the role that higher education plays in preparing students for a rapidly changing workforce and technology landscape. At each roundtable, a group of invited professionals discussed the role that higher education currently plays in preparing students for the workforce and how this role may need to adapt over the next 10 years due to the impact of transformative technologies on the Canadian workforce.

Participants explored how technologies like generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) are transforming higher education, what mechanisms are needed within higher education to ensure students are work-ready, and what programs are needed to support higher educational institutions in preparing students for the workforce, such as work-integrated learning (WIL). This brief summarizes the input provided by higher education professionals, offering a vision for higher education excellence for Canada over the next 10 years.