Hundreds of Humber College students will develop global skills through two newly launched projects made possible by the Government of Canada’s Global Skills Opportunity program, valued at $1 million from 2021 to 2025.

"Participating in the Global Skills Opportunity program will build on Humber’s award-winning international activities and internationalization strategy. These life-changing study and work abroad experiences offer students the chance to make a difference around the world,” said Gina Antonacci, senior vice-president, academic, Humber College. "International academic and work-integrated learning initiatives are critical to carrying out Humber’s mission to develop career-ready global citizens with the knowledge and skills to lead and innovate. We are grateful for the opportunity to engage with our global partners as we launch these meaningful projects.”

The newly launched projects are:

• Global Etuaptmumk/Two-Eyed Seeing & Co-Learning: This project will provide students with an immersion opportunity to complete academic credit courses on sustainability and bi-culturalism co-guided by Indigenous elders and knowledge holders at Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand and Humber College in Canada. The Etuaptmumk approach engages Indigenous and non-Indigenous students as equal partners in the learning process, valuing all ways of being, knowing and doing.  
• Storytelling for Social Change: This project will equip students to be community changemakers through social impact storytelling drawn from their global learning experiences and rooted in their lived narratives of sustainability plus equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Centred in social justice principles and Indigenous storytelling practices, students will undertake co-curricular training on ethical approaches to storytelling before, during and after their study and work experiences abroad. The project will strengthen participants’ EDI mindset and Humber Learning Outcomes skills such as critical thinking, communication, and digital literacy.

Global Skills Opportunity is a national outbound student mobility program that is expected to enable more than 16,000 Canadian college and undergraduate-level university students from across the country to acquire the global skills employers want and the Canadian economy needs. A key component of the Government of Canada’s International Education Strategy, Global Skills Opportunity is funded by Employment and Social Development Canada and is administered jointly by Colleges and Institutes Canada and Universities Canada. 

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. 

Compared to similar countries, fewer Canadian students – only about 11 per cent of university undergraduates and three per cent of college students – participate in work or study abroad experiences during their studies. The new program stands to change that. 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, and improve Canada’s competitiveness on the world stage.  

“Study and work abroad programs are invaluable learning experiences that ensure students are culturally literate, resilient, adaptable and ready to succeed in an increasingly globalized world. This is perhaps more important than ever, which is why we are so proud to work with our partners to deliver Global Skills Opportunity,” said Denise Amyot, president, Colleges and Institutes Canada. “This groundbreaking program will allow more Canadian students to access these opportunities to develop the skills they need to gain a foothold in today’s global marketplace.”