New Delhi, March 16 — Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) has launched a week-long delegation to India to deepen cooperation on skills development and workforce training.
From March 16 to 20, presidents and senior leaders from Canadian colleges and polytechnics will visit New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai to pursue partnerships with Indian universities, industry groups and government agencies. The mission aims to advance talks on joint skills-training initiatives and align workforce priorities between the two countries.
The trip follows recent Canada–India engagement on talent and innovation and the launch of a joint strategy designed to strengthen education, research and workforce ties. CICan says the visit will focus on practical collaborations that support India’s evolving national skills framework while reinforcing Canada’s labour market and economic objectives.
During meetings with Indian government officials, industry leaders, technical education authorities and postsecondary institutions, delegates will explore long-term training partnerships and sector-specific workforce solutions for both economies. The delegation will also present Canada’s college and polytechnic model, which emphasizes industry-driven, competency-based education to prepare students for emerging job markets.
Canada’s High Commissioner to India, Chris Cooter, highlighted the mutual benefits of workforce collaboration, noting India’s large and growing youth population and the importance of top-quality skills training to capture future job opportunities. CICan President and CEO Pari Johnston stressed that education, research and skills cooperation are key to economic growth and trade diversification, and called Canada’s public college and polytechnic sector a strategic national asset and committed global partner.
The delegation includes Ajay Patel, President and CEO of Vancouver Community College; Ann Marie Vaughan, President and CEO of Humber Polytechnic; Craig Stephenson, President and CEO of Centennial College; Laura Jo Gunter, President and CEO of NAIT; and Sean Kennedy, President and CEO of Niagara College. CICan President and CEO Pari Johnston and Senior Program Officer Milica Njegovan are also participating.
Colleges and Institutes Canada represents a network of 127 colleges, institutes and polytechnics across Canada. For more than five decades the organization has partnered with governments, industry and communities to deliver workforce training and international programs that respond to changing labour market needs.
The mission is intended to lay the groundwork for institutional collaborations, joint training programs and innovation partnerships that help both nations meet future workforce demands and deepen educational ties. Reported by ANI. (This content was published from a syndicated feed and is presented as received.)
