UPEI’s new Global Skills Opportunity project to help students gain career-boosting international work and study experience

Dozens of UPEI students will gain global skills through the newly launched Global Skills Opportunity project.

This work/study abroad opportunity will unlock students’ potential through life-changing global skills and experiences. This offering has been made possible with a $500,000 contribution from the Government of Canada’s Global Skills Opportunity (GSO) program announced in November 2021.

“The main objective of this mobility project under UPEI’s banner, ‘The World is Yours,’ is to reduce barriers to international experiences for our students, such as remote Island living and financial stress,” said Sherilyn Acorn, Manager and International Liaison Officer for the UPEI Office of Study Abroad and International Collaboration. “Our programs will consist of short- to long-term credit-bearing experiences including faculty-led courses, study abroad, co-operative education work terms, and/or internships. The end goal is to have students return to campus with new cultural understandings and enhanced employability skills.” 

GSO funding will help expand current UPEI programming and ensure that students are supported at every stage of their work and study experience. UPEI is working to ensure that underrepresented and other students are successful in studying or interning in non-traditional countries as well as in new locations, such as in the Nordic regions, to experience the early revitalization of leading Indigenous communities. These experiences will empower students to contribute to the reconciliation efforts within the Canadian workforce post-graduation, as well as the indigenization and internationalization of UPEI during the remainder of their degree.

“Study and work abroad programs are invaluable learning experiences that ensure UPEI students are ready to succeed in an increasingly globalized world,” added Dr. Greg Keefe, interim UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor. “We are excited and grateful to be able to deliver Global Skills Opportunity to our students, which will allow them to access opportunities to develop cultural literacy, resiliency, adaptability, and other skills they need to gain a foothold in today’s global marketplace.” 

GSO is a national outbound student mobility program that is expected to enable more than 16,000 Canadian college and undergraduate-level university students from across the country to acquire the global skills employers want and the Canadian economy needs. A key component of the Government of Canada’s International Education Strategy, GSO is funded by Employment and Social Development Canada and is administered jointly by Colleges and Institutes Canada and Universities Canada. 

While open to all Canadian post-secondary students, the national program targets groups for whom international experiences have traditionally been less accessible—specifically Indigenous students, students from low-income backgrounds, and those with disabilities. It also aims to diversify destination countries where Canadian students pursue international learning. 

Compared to similar countries, fewer Canadian students—only about 11 per cent of university undergraduates and three per cent of college students—participate in work or study abroad experiences during their studies. The new program aims to change that. By empowering post-secondary institutions to implement innovative solutions to barriers to participation, GSO will expand the horizons of Canadian students from coast to coast and improve Canada’s competitiveness on the world stage. 

“Global Skills Opportunity is breaking down financial, social, and logistical barriers that have prevented too many underrepresented students from participating in global study and work opportunities,” said Paul Davidson, President, Universities Canada. “Through this ambitious and ground-breaking program, thousands of young Canadians will have transformational experience abroad. Their newfound global perspective and skills will inform the way they live and work for decades to come.”

For more information, email studyabroad@upei.ca.