Now More Than Ever, Canada Needs Polytechnics to Transform and Renew Our Nation

Commentary

The signs of Canada’s decline are many, whether it’s a stagnant economy, a falling standard of living, high youth unemployment, or high deficits and debt. Canada has one of the lowest levels of productivity and educational outcomes among advanced countries, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Our labour shortages, particularly in technical employment, persist, and the emergence of artificial intelligence is poised to displace many jobs.

Canada can reverse this decline by pursuing the basic policies of not only fiscal prudence, competitive taxation, and deregulation, but educational reform. It is critical that Canada be laser-focused on getting rid of woke indoctrination and turn to real educational performance by making polytechnic education the cornerstone of renewal. Polytechnic education provides a bright pathway for Canada’s economic and cultural renewal, and now is the time to provide this urgent and transformative agenda.

Canada’s post-secondary landscape is complex with many different overlapping models. That landscape is fraught with generalization, and this analysis does not seek to disparage the rich variety of universities, colleges, and various public and private hybrids that serve the Canadian marketplace. Canada is dominated by large public universities that receive the most public funding and research. Given Canada’s declining context, now is the time for a major policy shift away from universities to polytechnics.

Polytechnic education is uniquely proven and, indeed, designed to serve the needs of students, industry, and society. What is this model? Polytechnic in French literally means “many techniques or skills.” Polytechnics vary from a high school level commonly found in Quebec, to others that are large advanced post-secondary institutions that offer advanced degrees. What is central to polytechnics is the teaching of many skills that result in successful employment and leadership. This is accomplished by using advanced methods and pedagogy to enable learning and critical thinking in areas of study such as business, administration, and design.

Fortunately, Canada already has a proven network of advanced polytechnics. They began in most cases as community colleges and technical institutes. These advanced polytechnics include well-known examples like the British Columbia Institute of Technology, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Red River College Polytechnic, Sheridan College, and Nova Scotia Community College, to name just a few.

These polytechnics are designed to meet the demanding industry standards and international certifications whether in health care, aerospace, services, or technology. Because those standards are uncompromising, polytechnics also provide extraordinary support to enable learners of all backgrounds and ages to meet those exacting standards. Not surprisingly, many of these institutions enable their graduates to achieve unusually high employment rates of over 90 percent in their chosen field of study. Despite this success, many Canadians have an archaic belief that these polytechnics are “trade schools” and somehow a second choice to universities.

Polytechnics better serve our nation, as they are intentionally designed to do so. These design variables are the formula for their success. Design begins with the end in mind: namely, to produce graduates who are job-ready and who can meet industry standards. This goal includes that learners understand the culture and bring with them the ability to think and lead within their respective environments.

Most polytechnics have a combination of at least 20 design variables to achieve that vision. This analysis highlights only a few of these design elements, including curriculum methodology and standards, faculty hiring and pedagogy, learner supports and work experience, and applied research partnerships.

In the case of curriculum, polytechnics around the world use a trade-marked methodology called “DACUM,” or designing a curriculum. A DACUM process works directly with industry and community participants to follow a highly disciplined methodology. It systematically identifies the required skills, standards, and attributes which need to be embedded into the curriculum to ensure a graduate is ready for employment and leadership in the field. In order to undertake a DACUM, curriculum designers are trained and certified to ensure the process can document and meet internationally recognized quality standards. This process delivers standards within a rapid time frame of usually two years or less. This is a critical strength in order to ensure curriculum is relevant and timely.

Polytechnics are also designed to hire a particular type of faculty. They are hired based on both a positive attitude as well as knowledge and experience. Faculty typically have an advanced degree or even a terminal degree such as a PhD in their field. In addition, faculty are required to have direct experience as a leader in their respective industries or professions that may be in the relevant trade, building, health care, or not-for-profit setting. Lastly, faculty are required to undertake a teaching degree or certificate grounded in the DACUM methodology and modern pedagogy.

Although polytechnics ensure the delivery of uncompromising industry standards, the support for learners enables them to succeed. This support is often in the form of smaller class sizes and a curriculum that ensures every learner successfully masters foundational segments first before proceeding forward. In other words, no shortcuts are permitted. This may mean that a learner will not proceed until they are ready. At the same time, the learning environment is designed to create a collegial environment that ensures constant feedback between the learner and the instructor, both in person and through innovative learning software which is rarely used at universities.

Because part of the polytechnic curriculum is both technical and cultural, work placements in the field of study are essential. In order for students to succeed, learners need to understand both skills, including the culture and even the specialized language and practices of their respective profession or work. That is why polytechnics commonly require a form of work placement in their program that is usually paid, whether in the form of cooperative work placements or apprenticeships, as an example. This work experience is invaluable, as both learners and employers seek to potentially make the arrangement permanent.

Lastly, polytechnics also pursue applied research with industry and various community partners, including government, enabling them to be on the edge of current industry challenges. Unlike pure research commonly undertaken at universities in the pursuit of a field’s knowledge, applied research involves addressing a current industry problem. The examples are numerous. Whether developing with a bus manufacturer a new generation of engine, developing a new training approach to composite manufacturing in the aerospace industry, or developing a new curriculum for inner-city high school students, the examples are many and make a major difference. Applied research is a team effort, not only involving the industry sponsor and faculty but also learners.

In the polytechnic, there are no bounds between the classroom and the community. At polytechnics, learning is integrated with the community and the boundaries between them are seamless by design.

In the 1970s, Finland was an educational and economic laggard. In the 1990s, Finland had the courage to undertake major reform and even transitioned most of its universities to polytechnics, expanding higher education and providing career-oriented education. The shift was aimed to better meet labour market needs and to enable students and Finland to succeed. Now, Finland is recognized as one of the premier education and economic success stories in the world.

Canada can benefit from this example of transformational change. Like Finland, Canada can choose to make polytechnic education its cornerstone. It would bring hope for a new generation seeking success in a well-paying employment, and confidence that they too can build a bright future. Let’s pull a Finland.

David Leis is president and CEO of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. He has served as a vice-president at various polytechnics and universities and was the former executive with a North American automation engineering firm and the CEO of the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.