Canadian Education News

Canadian youth underemployed or unemployed
According to the Montreal Gazette, regardless of the state of the business cycle, there has been a significant decline in the full-time employment of young people, ages 17-24. This excludes those who aren’t working because they’re full-time students from the count.

Between 1990 and 2015, youth unemployment was about 12%. It is “well above national averages for adults.” In fact, the underemployment rate was between 27 to 33%. And while youth are considered lazy, this does not match the statistics.

The jobs for youth are “temporary, contract, unstable and part-time ? reflecting a trend present across other OECD countries.” Solutions have been offered including investment from the federal government, youth employment initiatives, apprenticeships, and an “overhaul of the federal Youth Employment Strategy.”

New book on education innovator Aviz Glaze
The Delta Optimist said, “Tsawwassen’s Avis Glaze is one of Canada’s top educators and an international leader in the field of education?Glaze has been a persistent voice in the belief there should be no ?throw-away kids.?”

There is a new book entitled Avis Glaze: The Children Cannot Wait. It is biography that also chronicles the achievements of Glaze. It was written by Roberick Benns. Benns said, “Avis is a remarkably effective leader.”

Benns describes her as an advocate of Canadian values as well as innovative in the education field. The book covers “student achievement and wellbeing, leadership development, equity, social justice and inclusive education, character building, career education and innovations?”

Canadian foundation donates $12 million to Indigenous education
The Toronto Star reports that three Canadian teams are among the finalists in a competition with a $1 million prize attached to it: the prestigious Hult Prize for business students. It has been called the “Nobel Prize” for business students.

The theme for the current year is “Refugees ? The Reawakening of Human Potential” with an emphasis on “restoring the rights and dignity of people and societies who may be, or are forced into motion due to social injustices, politics, economic pressures, climate change and war.”

2,000 teams competed and Canadian universities won 3 of the 6 top spots: York University, the University of Calgary, and the University of Waterloo. The competition is run by the Hult Prize Foundation, and amounts to the single largest international competition for the creation of the next generation of social entrepreneurs.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is an AUSU Councillor. He works with various organizations, and runs In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, and In-Sight Publishing.