Canadian universities are facing a pivotal moment for our graduate students.

Graduate education must continue to advance research and teaching excellence, while also ensuring that students are prepared to thrive across an evolving and highly competitive labour market.

For institutional leaders such as Graduate Deans and Program Directors, the question is no longer whether industry workforce preparedness should be integrated into graduate curricula, but how to do so thoughtfully, strategically, and at scale.

In partnership with CAGS and HigherEd+, this national panel discussion will bring together senior academic leaders and industry engagement specialists to explore how Canadian institutions are embedding workforce readiness into graduate education without compromising scholarly rigor or academic integrity.

What’s in it for you?

• Examine models for integrating workforce preparedness into graduate curricula across Canadian institutions
• Identify scalable strategies for embedding transferable skills and career competencies within existing academic programs
• Explore approaches to balancing research excellence with industry engagement and experiential learning
• Evaluate structural and policy considerations for implementation at the faculty and institutional levels

This expert panel will feature senior academic leaders and industry engagement specialists who are actively integrating workforce preparedness into graduate education , including:

• Dr. Jenny Phelps, Assistant Vice-Provost of Graduate and Postdoctoral Strategic Academic Initiatives, University of British Columbia

• Charlene Marion, Executive Director of CEWIL Canada

• Eunice K. Yeboah, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Canadian Black Policy Network

• Dr. Jay P. Singh, Executive Director of HigherEd+

French captions will be available.