Sarah Watts Rynard joins NAWB's Ron Painter in discussing how Canada's polytechnic institutes are preparing students for in-demand jobs with practical training.

Polytechnics Canada: www.polytechnicscanada.ca/

Key Takeaways:

•People need to acquire new skills and comfortability with technology to adapt to changing workplaces and careers.

•Businesses should play a more active role in skill development and connecting to outside students during their educational phase.

•Polytechnics are well suited for career prep because they offer apprenticeships, certificates, 2- or 4-year degrees that suit a variety of careers.

•Competency based admission programs are experimenting with considering candidate portfolios rather than just grades.

•Educational outcomes are becoming more focused on skills than on what students can do, rather than on what knowledge they can recite.