Collaboration, Capacity, and Canada’s Talent Future
Senior leaders from university continuing education (UCE) across Canada gathered recently in Toronto for the annual CAUCE Deans + Directors’ meeting – a welcome opportunity to dive into the sector’s most pressing issues, bond, exchange ideas, and strengthen the relationships that make this community such a powerful engine for innovation.
Before our formal sessions began, many colleagues attended the BHER Executive Summit 2026, where experts from energy, defence, space, and AI shared bold perspectives on what it will take for Canada to “go all in” on the future economy. Their message was unequivocal: alignment between post-secondary institutions, business, and government is urgently needed. Canada must accelerate collaboration on research, talent development, and capital investment if we are to build and scale globally competitive solutions. And the timeline is not years, but weeks and months.
While universities may not be known for their speed, they are recognized for excellence in teaching, research, and innovation. Within our institutions, continuing education units are uniquely positioned to be quick, agile, and responsive to labour market needs. Over forty CE leaders from coast to coast gathered to examine this opportunity from multiple angles.
Dr. Glen A. Jones from OISE, University of Toronto opened the discussion with a compelling analysis of the recalibration underway in Canadian higher education. His framing of the shift from elite to mass education, and the implications for access, social mobility, and institutional strategy resonated strongly. With a large share of Canadians now holding undergraduate degrees, the credential is no longer the differentiator it once was. That reality makes UCE’s ability to deliver short‑cycle upskilling and reskilling more crucial than ever. At a time of rising expectations and constrained resources, UCE plays a critical stabilizing and forward‑looking role within universities.
Our conversations also reaffirmed the broader societal mission of universities: to raise essential questions about ethics, sustainability, Indigenous reconciliation, and the pursuit of a just society. As connectors across sectors and communities, UCE units help bring these complex issues into public dialogue and support learners in navigating them. As Canada advances its talent strategies, these values must remain central.
Building on these themes, BHER CEO Val Walker and Chief R&D Officer Matt McKean shared early insights from their summit and explored how UCE can contribute to coordinated, national workforce development solutions. Our collective strengths in providing modular learning, industry‑aligned competencies, and rapid response training are exactly what Canada needs. The challenge is scale and alignment: How do we expand our impact across regions and sectors?
One path is stronger government engagement. Stephanie Mitton of Beacon North Strategies led a practical session on government relations, reminding us that CAUCE has a strong story to tell, but it must be told strategically. UCE units are doing remarkable work, but do federal decision‑makers know the role we can play? They need to.
One way is to ensure that government officials who are making decisions about workforce development strategies know about CAUCE and what we can offer. Our final speaker, Stephanie Mitton from Beacon North Strategies, led a practical session on government relations and positioning. CAUCE has a strong story to tell but telling it effectively and tailoring it to the right audiences is essential. UCE units across Canada are doing remarkable work, but does Prime Minister Carney know the role we can play? He needs to.
These discussions highlight the importance of CAUCE’s priorities around thought leadership and demonstrating our impact through strong data and compelling stories. This evidence strengthens our advocacy and ensures our contributions are clearly understood. On that note, I also want to recognize the many volunteers who support CAUCE committees including data collection, communications, professional development, awards, and conference planning. Your dedication makes this work possible.
As always, the CAUCE annual meeting underscored the value of coming together: the informal conversations, the shared challenges, the laughs, and the collective problem‑solving. I am truly grateful for this strong and supportive community and hope to see many of you at the CAUCE Conference in Halifax, May 12–15, 2026.