The role of colleges in Canada’s post-pandemic recovery

As per a paper by Colleges and Institutes Canada – COVID-19 and beyond: The role of colleges and institutes in Canada’s resilient recovery – “Colleges and institutes are ideally placed to support Canadians and help their communities recover in the months ahead.”

Based on the findings in the paper, Canada’s post-recovery starts with international student and immigrants. Such newcomers to Canada will have a pivotal role to play in filling the labour shortages throughout the country in the post-pandemic scenario.

Canada had imposed COVID-19 related travel restrictions on March 18, 2020. While certain exceptions had been made for specific categories of travellers to Canada, travel restrictions had nonetheless impacted Canada immigration to a certain extent.

As regular draws – Express Entry as well as provincial – had continued to be held nonetheless, invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residence or a provincial nomination were issued respectively. Despite COVID-19, 2020 has proven to be a record-breaking year in terms of the total ITAs issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada [IRCC] in a year.

While skilled workers are still being issued invitations, international students are exempt from the Canada travel restrictions. Those looking at study overseas in Canada are also able to apply for and secure Canada study permits.

As per the paper by Colleges and Institutes Canada, “Given the global nature of this pandemic, which has interrupted international travel, ensuring Canada continues to attract the international students who will become such an important part of our future workforce will be equally important.”

Colleges and institutes in Canada are indeed “ideally placed” for supporting Canadians, helping the local communities recover in the near future.

Factors such as their deep community connections and their proven track-record in terms of skills development make colleges and institutes in Canada well-placed for supporting “a strong and sustainable economic recovery”.

Along with helping Canadians develop the skills required for succeeding in uncertain times and meeting the evolving labour requirements of employers as they continue to adapt to the new normal, Canadian institutes and colleges also attract international students to Canada, assisting them to transition onto the Canadian labour market and citizenship. Colleges and institutes in Canada help businesses in particular and SMEs in particular, to innovate and grow through leveraging the full potential of college and institute applied research capacity.

Immigrants are in high demand in Canada. As per the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan announced on October 30, 2020, Canada plans on welcoming over 4 lakh immigrants a year in the near future.

If you are looking to Migrate, Study, Invest, Visit, or Work Overseas, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No. 1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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