Opinion: Alberta’s higher education institutions strive for problem-solver graduation

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The talent shortage, or, as Calgary Economic Development defines it, “a bright, skilled workforce with big ideas,” is one of the highest hurdles facing our cities and states in diversifying and growing the economy. One. Governments, industry, chambers of commerce and institutions of higher education work together to attract, retain and train talent. Universities contribute to this mission in many ways.

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When employers consider recent graduates, they look for someone who has a solid teaching base, some experience in the field, adapts quickly to changing environments, and can work well with a team. Employers look, above all, to hire people who can solve problems and think critically.

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With an emphasis on teaching critical thinking and problem-solving, as well as science, technology, business, health, and community, we develop well-rounded graduates who are prepared for careers, further study, and life. While some may panic about the concept of broad liberal education or think that graduates are living underemployed lives, countless research studies prove otherwise.Mount Royal College As I tell my students, you never know where life will take you. A multidisciplinary education means that you are better prepared for whatever opportunities present themselves.

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College was a life-changing experience for me. From being self-employed, I jumped into a career in HR in the private sector, where I focused on management training. He then returned to the university environment as an academic and senior administrator. This was not what I envisioned growing up, or even when I was studying in college.

One way students learn what is possible and what is expected is through work experience. It is through Work Integrated Learning that universities combine the academic learning of study programs with problem-solving and application in the workplace.

Decades ago, as a psychology student conducting summer interviews in a locked residential facility for troubled youth, I received a purely theoretical education from a skeptical staff. Even so, I was asked what I would do if a client threw a chair over my head.

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My answer — “Duck!” — seemed to convince them because it suggested some basic problem-solving skills. The way we deal with young people in crisis situations has thankfully improved significantly, but I think this experience still demonstrates the underlying value of work-integrated learning, which combines theory and practice. increase.

With state and federal funding, CED is developing an online portal for WIL opportunities. It enables students from seven Calgary high schools to connect with industry. These can be offered as cooperatives, internships, applied research projects or field placements.

Students in programs ranging from computer science, finance, and legal studies to information design, education, nursing, social work, and more, benefit from learning this way.. Matched Employer Grant Funding helps recruit and mentor new talent.

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MRU works with nearly 5,000 contacts offering WIL opportunities, and over 70% of MRU degrees have an apprenticeship or co-op requirement. M.RU and other higher education institutions also partner with a collaborative education and work-integrated learning ihub funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Innovative WIL Program. Making these initiatives work requires investing time and resources, especially in the small business and non-profit sector, to find out what employers are trying to achieve, what students need and what they can offer. It is important to make it understandable. .

Alberta’s post-secondary education strategy aims to be the first province to offer work and integrated learning for all students. The learning curve is steep for everyone involved, but the potential payoff is immense. Personally, I love that students from all walks of life teach me how the world works. Students gain hands-on work skills while being able to do so for a wide range of organizations.

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As our economy evolves, many graduates are building their careers through contract work or entrepreneurship. There is an assumption that entrepreneurs are born, not created, but Alberta’s business schools are different. At MRU’s Bisset School of Business, the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development of impactful talent. MRU is part of the consortium hosting LearningCITY 2022 at Platform Calgary’s Innovation Center, reimagining the future of learning and talent.

The Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, with MRU as the regional hub, also enables and inspires business owners. It celebrates Indigenous women entrepreneurs and explores the opportunities and barriers they face.

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Meanwhile, MRU’s Bridge to Canadian Nursing helps internationally educated nurses obtain the qualifications needed to participate in the Canadian healthcare system. As Alberta’s only program, students come from all over the world. Local expansion of these programs can address the shortage of trained nurses. Among them is MRU student Hana Sahyouni, her girlfriend from Lebanon.

Calgary Chamber of Commerce report (Unlocking our Talent Potential: Refining our Immigration Policies to Grow our Talent Pool) that We look at the barriers and solutions for filling jobs through immigration. Similarly, microcredentials will continue to grow as an opportunity for early and mid-career people to build their skills and transition to new jobs.

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A visit to MRU’s satellite Field of Cross earlier this month was a further reminder of the growing need for the aforementioned thinking skills and experiential learning. Freedom House recently explored the rise of authoritarianism and the decline of her global freedom over the past 16 years and found that only 20% of the world’s population lives in free and democratic countries. Democracy itself is under threat in the face of climate change, an ongoing pandemic, reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous peoples, rising costs of living and talent shortages. This is disastrous not only for the values ​​to which these crosses honored the former students, alumni, staff, and faculty who gave their lives, but also for their current well-being, which depends on the rule of law, equality, and respect for human rights. have an impact.

Governments, community groups, industry and the non-profit sector continue to work towards solving these daunting challenges, but are graduating from the “big idea minds” needed to overcome them. is, first and foremost, a university.

Tim Rahilly is President and Vice-Chancellor of Mount Royal College.