We are fortunate to have participated in global projects that develop the intercultural competencies of students, faculty and staff and build training capacity within Mohawk and our partner communities. Read about our current global projects!
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Global Skills Opportunity Projects
Mohawk College students will have access to global learning opportunities in Italy and New Zealand through two new projects, funded by the Government of Canada’s new Global Skills Opportunity program.
With more than $600,000 in funding, Mohawk will be able to provide global learning for students, intended to unlock student potential through life-changing global skills and experiences, increasing their intercultural competencies and giving them new and in-demand work skills.
Over the next three years, three cohorts of 15 to 20 students in the Business-General Program, with the support of two professors, will have the opportunity to study for two weeks at the CUOA Business School in Vicenza, Italy, learning about the influence of culture and innovation on business model performance within an intercultural setting. As well, supported by staff and faculty in the Indigenous Initiatives, Education, and Student Services (IIESS) and the General Arts and Sciences program, 16 Indigenous students from across the college will experience traditions, thought and practices from Māori culture with Māori scholars, knowledge-keepers and Elders, will visit sites of cultural and historic significance, and participate and share in gatherings and ceremonies for three weeks in New Zealand in 2023. In advance of these trips, participating students will prepare for these transformative experiences from safety and intercultural development perspectives.
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 3% 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.
Over the next four years, Mohawk College will be one of 54 colleges and institutes and 56 universities that will be implementing a total of 124 GSO-funded projects in collaboration with international partners in more than 100 countries and to the benefit of tens of thousands of students.
“The Global Skills Opportunity program is pivotal in helping Mohawk College achieve our internationalization goals. The program allows a broad range of students to experience learning on the global stage. We have witnessed first-hand the benefits of study abroad programming for students, faculty and staff, and its impact in our classroom. Enhancing our classrooms and community, preparing our students to be future ready global citizens.”
- Thea Laidman, Associate Vice President, International
“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. This ground-breaking 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.”
- Denise Amyot, President, Colleges and Institutes Canada
The project is funded by Global Skills Opportunity, the Government of Canada’s Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program.
CICAN Innovation Grant
In November, Mohawk College was the successful recipient of a $25,000 Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) grant to support innovative approaches to building capacity for outbound mobility programs. One part of the project is a “virtual exchange” where students in the Business course “Human Relations and Leadership” participated in activities with students at The Jobs Academy (JAC) (Fondazione ITS per le nuove tecnologie per il Made in Italy) a large technical college in Italy, with the aim to build global understanding and intercultural competencies. Tracey Kadish, professor in the Tourism program at Mohawk, working with Maria Teresa Provenzale, professor of Business at JAC, developed an engaging and exciting set of workshops for students to learn about working in a global context that includes case studies, taking the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) assessment, reflection and perspective sharing.
This is the first “Virtual Exchange” for Mohawk College! Virtual Exchange is an opportunity for students from different regions to collaborate and learn about global perspectives within their coursework and under the guidance of their professors. It is also called Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). Want to know more? Read more about Virtual Exchange and COIL.
The grant also includes the development of a “Pre-Departure Orientation” module in MyCanvas to prepare students for global learning opportunities, both virtual and in the future, in-person. The module will include sections on intercultural competencies, cultural awareness, implicit bias, equity, diversity and inclusion and cultural adaptation while abroad. The project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program.
Canada-CARICOM Skills Training for the Green Economy Scholarships Program (CARICOM)
Mohawk College has partnered with University of Trinidad and Tobago to welcome two students for the 2021-2022 academic year in the Engineering Systems Technology program under the Canada-CARICOM Skills Training for the Green Economy program, funded by Global Affairs Canada.
Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP)
Mohawk College has partnered with Universidad Madero for the past three years to welcome students into our International Business Management program under the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program, funded by Global Affairs Canada. For the 2021-2022 academic year, we will be welcoming one student into this program during the winter semester. Read more about the ELAP program.
EXPLORE
The EXPLORE program invites students to enhance their English language skills while participating in local cultural excursions, building their interpersonal and intercultural competencies.
ERASMUS+
From May to July 2019, four students from Mohawk’s Business - Marketing program participated in work placements in Milan, Italy through Mohawk’s partner, The Jobs Academy (JAC). Placements were hosted at Caronte Law Firm and Price Waterhouse Coopers in Milan and rewarded students and supervisors with enhanced skills and professional growth. This program was made possible by Erasmus+ funding, a European Union-based organization that sponsors student and faculty mobility projects. Mohawk is one of a limited number of approved Canadian partners with the Erasmus+ program. In return, Mohawk College welcomed five Italian students who will study at Mohawk’s Fennell campus in the fall 2019 2 students in Business Marketing and 2 students in Computer Systems Technology). Read more about ERASMUS+.
Ecuador Faculty Training Experience
A group of 10 Mohawk College Faculty and staff travelled to Ecuador in February 2020 for a 9-day Food Revolutions program with Operation Groundswell, partially funded through a generous donation from guard.me. The purpose of the initiative was to offer training to faculty who are interested in organizing and facilitating short-term abroad experiences with student groups, and to provide service to local communities in Ecuador. Short-term abroad experiences for students and faculty can be transformative as they are rich with new learning opportunities. Immersing oneself within another culture provides an opportunity to challenge personal worldviews, through the exploration of different cultural and community practices.
Skills to Access the Green Economy (SAGE) Project
In February 2020, Mohawk College was thrilled to learn that we were selected to partner on the Skills to Access the Green Economy (SAGE) project, coordinated by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). Mohawk College is working with College of the North Atlantic (CNA) and Durham College to increase the local capacity of training institutions in Guyana, delivering gender-sensitive skills training programs that meet economic and environmental needs in the region.
According to CICan, “The ultimate goal of the program is a more qualified labour force for employment in key economic sectors vulnerable to climate change.” All in all, ten Canadian colleges and institutes will partner with twelve local Caribbean partners across the SAGE program’s six countries of focus. This $15 million program is funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.
In the most recent phase of the project, CTL faculty Cathy Ozols and Johanne McCarthy are supporting the development and delivery of workshops to be provided to the teachers at Bina Hill Youth Institute (BHYI) and New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI) in Guyana. Meanwhile, the project lead for Mohawk, Daniel Farr will be facilitating a discovery meeting with partners at BHYI to determine how best to support the development of a preparatory program that will be developed for students this fall by partners Durham College and CNA.
Read more about the program at Colleges & Institutes Canada.