Goal 5:

Humber, through the International Development Institute (IDI), has continued to attract significant funding for capacity development initiatives globally, including expanded reach in Indonesia stemming from our 4.6 million dollar Global Affairs funded project in Sulawesi, programmes in Africa, and training initiatives through practicums on Humber’s campuses. The movement of IDI from the Business School to the International Centre has created greater engagement across the Humber community, and through cross-campus consultation the Institute has developed a vision and mission creating strategic direction to grow our global reach through support of development initiatives.

SEDS

Humber’s partnership with seven universities in Sulawesi, Indonesia comes to a close this year after five years of hard work, dedication and commitment from staff, faculty and students both in Canada and in Sulawesi. The five-year program developed the creative and business skills of students in the classroom, while also providing on-campus hubs for students to explore entrepreneurship on their own.

Through the project initiatives, more than 7,000 students have studied the new entrepreneurship curriculum, 18% of them have started a new business (that’s 1,260 businesses started!). Half of the new businesses have created at least one job. Ninety-four percent of students that take the course can name a business best practice on the topic of gender, governance and the environment, and 83% of students are satisfied with the new entrepreneurship courses.

The minimum wage in Sulawesi is $250 a month. SEDS-supported student businesses make an average of $300 month.

Asian Development Bank Project Supporting Indonesian Polytechnics

In partnership with Applied Research and Innovation and Program Planning, Development and Renewal, IDI is working with six Indonesian polytechnic institutions supporting them in the development of Centres of Technology (COTs) on their campuses. Funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Humber is taking a train-the-trainer approach to develop each polytechnic’s capacity to design and deliver applied technical education and programming that links each institution with industries through the creation of advisory councils and applied research opportunities. Humber is delivering workshops in Jakarta and visiting the selected polytechnics. Humber’s role in the project is being led in Toronto and Indonesia by Jeff May, who led the May 2016 delegation of Polytechnics on a practicum at Humber. Jeff has worked with Humber’s Business School on the Sulawesi Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) project in Indonesia during 2014 and 2015.

Entrepreneurship and Technical Vocational Education in Ethiopia

Working in partnership with Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT), a leading international social enterprise that operates youth-led economic, education and leadership programs all over the world, Humber is supporting the national Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in Ethiopia. The initiative will equip 50 entrepreneurship instructors in Ethiopia with the tools and skills to design and deliver effective curriculum in entrepreneurship. As Master Trainers, the Ethiopian faculty will also be qualified to provide leadership in this sector to other instructors in the region.

The project is funded as part of a larger Global Affairs Canada (GAC) project to help 200,000 young women and men build entrepreneurial and job skills and use technology to increase their incomes and employment opportunities.

Humber’s international development projects contribute to efforts to internationalize the campus, while at the same time making an important contribution to sustainable development globally.

Supporting Polytechnics in Kenya

Humber is the lead Canadian institution supporting three national polytechnic schools in western Kenya as part of the Kenya Education for Employment Program (KEFEP).

The three-year, 1.668 million dollar capacity-building project is an initiative of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) and is funded by Global Affairs Canada. Humber is working in a consortium with Durham College (DC), Vancouver Island University (VIU) and Selkirk College assisting Kisumu, Kisii and Sigalagala Polytechnics to develop their competency based education training in mechanical engineering, renewable energy and building technology.

The KEFEP program will help equip Kenyan youth with the skills and qualifications required to compete in the country’s workforce, and to support the country’s vision of transforming to an industrializing, middle income country by 2030.