|

A New Era Begins: Humber College Transforms into Humber Polytechnic

September 6, 2024

A New Era Begins: Humber College Transforms into Humber Polytechnic

By Aaron Rathbone on August 29, 2024

Empowering the future workforce through changing times

In late August 2023, Humber set out on an ambitious journey to redefine itself and what post-secondary education could look like in 2030 and beyond. This journey was called Humber Inspired and included discussions with more than a thousand people, including students, staff and industry and community partners, on the school’s future and its purpose in society. A year later, the first step of that future is being realized with the announcement of the transformation from Humber College to Humber Polytechnic and its new brand, Builders of Brilliance. 

“Our vision is rooted in the successes of our past,” said Ann Marie Vaughan, president and CEO, Humber Polytechnic, to an enthusiastic audience at the annual President’s Breakfast. “It’s those successes that empower us to explore new and creative ways to deliver an exceptional experience to our students, to our partners, to our communities, and to all of you.” 

The school has been providing a polytechnic model of education since 1967. Offering a distinct third option between university and college – one that combines deep, theoretical learning with applied, hands-on experience to foster employability, not just employment for graduates. The polytechnic model is hands-on and industry responsive. Programs encourage learning by doing, developing the practical skills and competencies required in today’s workplaces and giving Humber graduates a leg-up in the labour market. 

“Humber is preparing to lead a new era of higher education,” said Vaughan. “While we may not be the first to use the word polytechnic, we’ll be the first to define it by focusing on three pillars: Reimagined Learning, Deeper Partnerships, and Driving Impact. We are going to be Builders of Brilliance.” 

In recent years, challenges have peaked in labour markets and the economy. Productivity, the metric of economic growth, has been in decline in Canada for decades and continues to wear on other areas of society, especially in employability and the financial success of younger graduates. Also, Canada trails its peers in terms of investments in technology, education, training, and research and development, which further hinders its productivity output. 

“As a country, we have struggled to live up to our potential to effectively convert innovation into commercial success,” said Tyler Charlebois, director, Centres of Innovation Network and Partnership Development at Humber, and a leading figure behind the Humber Inspired work. 

Humber Polytechnic embraces a new identity that reflects its vision for the future. According to Vaughan, it represents a vision and a commitment to pioneer new interprofessional, collaborative approaches to teaching and learning, leveraging technology, partnerships, and experiential education to prepare learners for success in a rapidly changing world. 

“Humber’s real strength is our breadth and depth of talent. We are the most comprehensive polytechnic in Canada,” said Vaughan. “As Humber Polytechnic, we will work with industry to solve Canada’s productivity crisis with the right programs, the right skills, the right partners and most importantly the right people.” 

Over the next decade, the school will lead the definition, discovery, value and possibilities of polytechnic education. As it embarks on this journey, Humber Polytechnic invites industry and employers to join with it to nurture and be a catalyst for a more prosperous and competitive Canada. More information can be found on Humber’s Building Brilliance website, including its vision to 2030 and beyond. 

Source

Related Story

Humber College and The King’s Trust Canada Partner to Help Youth Upskill to Find Meaningful Work 

In recognition of the United Nations’ World Youth Skills Day, a global initiative that calls attention to the need to empower youth through skills education, Humber College and The King’s Trust Canada (TKTC) are partnering to develop courses for TKTC’s new program, The Skills Academy, launching this fall.   

The Skills Academy will teach in-demand workplace skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and teamwork. The goal is to enhance the competitiveness and employability of young people aged 18 to 25 in a fast, accessible, meaningful, and engaging manner.  The program will be designed for youth who are facing barriers to employment.  

Related Articles


Latest Articles

  • ABB Contactor Selection Guide Canada

    October 1, 2025 ABB contactors are among the most reliable electrical switching devices in industrial automation. As Canada’s leading ABB authorized distributor, Proax has helped thousands of engineers and technicians select the right ABB contactor for their applications. Whether you’re designing a new motor control panel or replacing existing equipment, choosing the right ABB contactor can… Read More…

  • 25 Advanced Motion Control Questions Answered

    October 1, 2025 Electromate has compiled a list of 25 advanced mechatronic engineering FAQs covering inertia, vibration, servo safety, control tuning, encoder resolution, and motion system design, and provided answers from their team of experts across the country. How do I model moment loading in real-world applications with offset payloads? Moment loading should be calculated… Read More…


Featured Article

Revolutionizing Material Movement with Autonomous Mobile Robots

Revolutionizing Material Movement with Autonomous Mobile Robots

In today’s fast-paced manufacturing and logistics industries, the need for efficient and flexible material movement solutions has never been greater. Traditional methods like conveyor systems, forklifts, and manual pushcarts have served us well, but they come with limitations.

That’s why Omron is thrilled to announce the launch of their game-changing MD Series of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). Read more


Products

  • Schneider Electric Unveils New AI Data Centre Reference Designs with NVIDIA

    October 6, 2025 Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has announced new reference designs developed with NVIDIA that significantly accelerate time to deployment and aid operators as they adopt AI-ready infrastructure solutions. The first reference design delivers the industry’s first and only critical framework for integrated power management and liquid… Read More…

  • PISA-M Electronic Circuit Breakers: New NEC Class 2 Compliant Variants Available

    October 6, 2025 PULS introduces new 4-channel electronic circuit breakers designed specifically for power distribution in NEC Class 2 circuits, expanding the existing PISA-M series. PISA-M enables the safe distribution of load current into four individual Class 2 circuits. This offers a cost-effective alternative to multiple individually approved NEC Class 2 compliant power supplies, reducing both acquisition costs and… Read More…