CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS – CALL FOR WORKSHOPS

Deadline is extended until July 20, 2009

The Canadian Post-Secondary Access Partnership will hold its Inaugural Conference in Toronto in October 2009 in collaboration with the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, European Access Network and National College Access Network. The conference will look at civil society’s role in broadening access to post-secondary studies and building human capital and a skilled labour force. This includes community-, city- and regionally-based initiatives that develop collaborations among community organizations and other civic groups, corporations and business groups, post-secondary institutions and schools, as well as governments.

International proposals for presentations and workshops are invited from practitioners, program administrators, policy-makers, academics and researchers from community and civic organizations, ethnic groups, schools systems, post-secondary institutions, corporations and business associations, foundations, government and other stakeholder groups. Submissions for workshop formats that focus on the transfer of learning and experience and strategy development are particularly encouraged. Submissions for joint presentations or panels are also encouraged.

Presentations and workshops must focus directly on one of the following themes:

Prepared Minds, Human Faces

Who are we targeting in our strategies to broaden post-secondary access and workforce opportunities? What have we really learned about the needs and motivations of these individuals, about the barriers they face and how to help them see beyond them to plan a path through post-secondary studies and beyond? About working with youth and adults from First Nations communities? About working with diverse student populations and diverse workforces? How is this knowledge transferred to educators, guidance counsellors, faculty, human resource planners? How is this knowledge being reflected in the policies and practices of schools, post-secondary institutions, corporations? How can this knowledge be shared?

The issue of access and success for Aboriginal peoples is as pressing for Aboriginal peoples and communities and it is for Canada as a whole. Many of the education and workplace barriers and challenges faced by other Canadians are compounded for First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth and adults. These challenges begin early. Yet outcomes for Aboriginal youth and adults who successfully complete post-secondary studies and enter highly skilled positions in the workforce are excellent. What do we know about the special needs of our First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples? About practices emerging from within Aboriginal communities, from Aboriginal educators and leaders? About those in the mainstream? What can we learn from each other to ensure that we move forward together?

This theme will focus on insights from research and practice in working with “first-generation” students, youth and adults from Aboriginal communities, lower-income households and under-represented ethnic groups.

Prepared Places, Networked Spaces

Civil society is beginning to take a more active role in addressing the individual and societal challenge of ensuring that more Canadians from non-traditional backgrounds acquire advanced skills and learning. The issues are complex and addressing them in isolation often leads to failure. Barriers interact. Cross-referral networks are essential. Programs and strategies that coordinate the efforts and resources of students, parents, educators, post-secondary institutions, business and government, have often provided the best outcomes.

Corporations and industry associations sense that they need to move their labour force development and diversity strategies “upstream” to the high school level; schools seeking to keep students through to graduation are seeking community partners and mentors that can help engage students and give them a sense of purpose and vision; post-secondary institutions are seeking to build an outreach capacity but may lack the relationships and community ties; governments are exploring ways to address non-financial barriers to students’ pursuit of post-secondary studies and grappling with policies and strategies that cut across economic, social and labour force development.

What can schools, post-secondary institutions and companies learn from each others’ strategies? How can they work collaboratively with each other and with community organizations and governments to achieve common goals of broadening access to post-secondary studies and successful workforce integration? What can we learn from successful strategies and practices of communities, cities and regions in other jurisdictions, in looking to strengthen and scale-up our own initiatives to broaden access?

This theme will focus on case studies and workshops from a growing number of organizations, cities, regions and countries that are realizing that to build a skilled labour force and use the country’s human capital to advantage they must build post-secondary access strategies that cut across traditional silos, build partnerships between education and business, and mobilize civil society.

What’s a PSE Anyway?

Post-secondary education and student financial aid, with all their related jargon and buzzwords, are uncharted waters for many Canadians. This is particularly true for those who grew up in a household where neither parent pursued post-secondary studies.

This theme will look at innovative early intervention, outreach, recruitment, career development and communication strategies (practices, policies and programs) designed to attract and prepare youth, their parents, and adult learners from communities underrepresented at the post-secondary level, including early awareness programs at the primary and middle school levels; post-secondary advisory services; near peer and corporate mentoring networks at the high school level; social marketing strategies; and related government strategies and incentives.

A Sense of Place: Identity and Belonging

Getting students into post-secondary studies is only half the battle. Keeping them in and supporting their success is the next step. Dropout rates in first year remain high. Too often students drop out because of poor program fit or simply a sense that they don’t belong. A new student navigating the large halls of an urban campus may feel overwhelmed and disoriented, away from home and friends, the familiar. Others may experience racism and a sense of alienation on campus. Making students feel that they belong and that they have access to the networks and services to be successful can be as simple as having a mentor contact them once a week to provide support, or encouraging them to get involved on or off campus. Involvement equals engagement.

This theme will look at strategies, programs and practices designed to create a sense of identity and belonging and a culture of success in schools, on post-secondary campuses and in the workplace for youth and adults from populations currently underrepresented at the post-secondary level and in corporate echelons. Strategies and practices designed to promote retention and success will include: academic bridging programs; campus orientation programs; post-secondary advising and mentoring; guiding circles; internships and job shadowing; corporate coaching; other industry and corporate human resource strategies.

Track Records: Making a Difference

While the phrase was coined several decades ago, it has never been more accurate to say that we are living in a global village. We compete now with communities and institutions within our own borders and with those halfway around the world. We cannot afford to stick to our knitting or be complacent about our past successes. We must look beyond our borders to see what others are doing and to set our strategies in a global context. And we must benchmark our own success against the success of other countries, regions, communities, institutions.

What targets are being set and what indicators are being used to monitor outcomes in efforts to broaden post-secondary access and corporate diversity? In working collaboratively with others, how can community, institutional and corporate objectives be aligned? This theme will examine methodologies and best practices in impact assessment, evaluation and benchmarking of efforts to broaden post-secondary access and corporate diversity.