TORONTO, March 19, 2019 – York University President & Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton applauds the Government of Canada’s 2019 Budget for its significant investment in work-integrated learning, an international education strategy, graduate research scholarships and life-long learning. These investments will ensure Canada remains competitive and a leader in the global economy.
With two-thirds of all emerging jobs requiring higher education, it is important that Canada continues to encourage greater participation in university education and invests in the development of globally skilled talent. The 2019 Federal Budget outlines investment in several important areas.
“Today’s budget sends a strong message that the Canadian government recognizes the importance of investing in work-integrated learning. These opportunities are crucial to helping students bridge their academic studies with practical experience increasing their competitiveness as graduates in the global labour market. We are pleased that the government has set a target of creating 84,000 new student work placements across all disciplines by 2024,” said Lenton.
York is also pleased that the 2019 Budget contains an investment to implement the international education strategy including an outbound student mobility pilot program and the promotion of Canadian post-secondary education abroad to build our talent network. Supporting international student mobility helps to strengthen and diversify our trade links abroad and increases our opportunities for international collaboration in impactful research areas.
York University commends the government for following through on the recommendations from the Fundamental Science Review, by investing in an enhanced provision of scholarships for graduate students at both the master’s and doctoral levels in the 2019 Budget. With this increased funding, universities are better positioned to attract the necessary talent to help Canada fully realize its world-leading research potential.
The budget also makes a commitment to invest in life-long learning and upskilling with the creation of the new Canada Training Benefit. This will ensure that more Canadians have access to a university education that will help prepare them for future labour market needs.
Media contact: Yanni Dagonas – York University Media Relations
