Canada invests in skills, WIL, Indigenous learners with 2017 budget

The federal government has introduced a new budget that focuses on skills, innovation, and Indigenous learners. Among the budget’s PSE highlights is an investment of $90M over two years to support the Post-Secondary Student Support Program, a federal initiative that distributes non-repayable financial support to Indigenous students attending higher education. The budget also includes $117.6M over eight years for 25 “Canada 150” Research Chairs and $221M over five years to support Mitacs’ goal of providing 10,000 work-integrated learning placements every year for Canadian postsecondary students and graduates. Several organizations have also applauded the government's investment of $225M over four years to create a new organization to support skills development and measurement in Canada. Finally, the budget allows the Canada Student Loans Program to expand eligibility for part-time students and students with dependents. Universities Canada | CICan | Polytechnics Canada | CFS | CASA | CAUT