Moderator: Ghada Sfeir, Researcher-Member, QUESCREN, Concordia University

Speakers:

Maria Giammarco, Senior Lead, Research and Development, Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER)  

"Strengthening Learner Pathways through Equitable, Inclusive Work-Integrated Learning"

Experiential and work-integrated learning initiatives are important pathways to meaningful employment for post-secondary students, yet many students from equity-deserving communities continue to be left behind. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the urgent need to embed equity and justice into the heart of education and skills development efforts. This includes cultivating more accessible and inclusive WIL opportunities. And while these challenges are large and complex and transformation will not happen overnight, the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) seeks to lower barriers to WIL access and improve WIL experiences and outcomes for equity-deserving students through inclusive community engagement, student-centric approaches, and capacity-building amongst employers. 

Lucie Roy, Assistant General Director, Riverside School Board 

"Empowering Adult Learners"

I will share experiences of academic needs, opportunities and challenges from the angle of linguistic borders.  Autonomy, rights and responsibilities will be exposed in order to allow a pooling of reflections and practices and how to promote their transfer into the English community. Together we will question how can Adult Education and Vocational Training centers, through a systemic approach, adapt their guidelines, rules and regulations, and practices from a perspective of equity and inclusion while taking into account the realities and sensitivities of our adult students. How to build the capacity of administrators and teachers to reduce inequities that already exist for disadvantaged students? Who to influence to better prepare our students to live together in a democratic society and reach their full potential? 

Speakers' bios:

Maria Giammarco is a Senior Lead of Research & Development at the Business + Higher Education Roundtable, a national non-profit focused on building the capacity of Canada's skills, talent, and innovation ecosystem. Maria holds a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience and uses her background in science policy, behavioural science, and applied social impact research to drive R&D for more equitable, person-centered learner pathways.

Lucie Roy holds an MA degree in Educational Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Educational Administration. She has been an Assistant Director General of Riverside School Board since 2016. In the past ten years, she has also been Director of Educational and Complementary services in Adult Education and Vocational Training and Technologies, including Business Services, RAC (Recognition of acquired competencies) and SARCA (Service, Accueil, Référence, Conseil, Accompagnement). She has been responsible for Community Learning Centres and international students in the adult and youth sectors, the provincial and regional RECIT AGE (adult general education) and vocational training. Previously, she has worked as school principal and teacher.

The Education and Vitality Forum is now on Twitter! Use the handle @QuescrenForum21 to tweet your highlights from the presentations and best practices learned, to comment on a tweet or to share a question from each session or panel you attend throughout the Forum. Those who tweet – and especially tweet multiple times each day – will be entered into our Twitter Giveaway for a chance to win a FREE COPY of QUESCREN’s new book The Charter: Bill 101 and English-Speaking Quebec! Let’s share our knowledge together and engage and learn from one another throughout the Forum.