Transformation

The opportunities

We have articulated three Institute priorities through the 2020 review of the Strategic Plan: Agile Learning; Digital Transformation; and Partnership in Provincial Resilience. Each represents a response to the requirements of learners, employees, and industry at this juncture. Each has the capacity to differentiate BCIT—and the Institute has the capacity, indeed the responsibility, to step forward. And each represents not only an opportunity to mitigate immediate risk, but also an opportunity for BCIT to optimally position the Institute for the long term.

The transformational opportunities are fully consistent with the plan; indeed, they are composites, to some extent, of activities that are at least partly underway. Educational innovation, industry engagement, and investment in technology remain at the core of all that we are seeking to achieve, and there are elements of each in all three.

Amplified areas of focus include mental health and remote service delivery to support our learners, as well as training and support for our instructors in new teaching modalities. Well-being and connectedness throughout the BCIT community, dialogue and activity that foster understanding and progress in social justice, and new levels and forms of partnership are also critical. Student experience and affordability are areas of further heightened attention.

Together, these opportunities create an overlay of currency and emphasis to the Strategic Plan. They position and enable the Institute to advance the state of practice in polytechnic education at a time when the world truly needs more BCIT.

Our responsibility

These three opportunities represent a new level of ambition at BCIT, one that reflects the role that we believe BCIT can—and must—play as we move forward from 2020.

The vision is for BCIT to become a recognized leader in the provision of personalized education, relevant in an ever-changing global context. The key components include:

continued renewal and growth in Part-time Studies programming;
adapted and expanded models of work-integrated learning; and
new peer and industry partnerships to enhance and expand BCIT’s offerings.

The first two target the sharp growth in demand for learning that is modular, flexible, and applied—all of which are areas of differential strength for BCIT and even more important as the economy reshapes and rebounds. In addition to customized industry training, the third element may include collaborations through which BCIT works in new ways with its peer institutions to educate learners across the province as the sector settles post-pandemic. “Agile learning” will be a highly contested domain as other institutions recognize the trends, but BCIT has the ability and credibility to prevail. Outstanding education and student experience are the primary objectives, with employers a key beneficiary. Success will also support in the recruitment and retention of top instructors.

The vision is for BCIT to help redefine the future of work, while building the digital skills and capacity of the BC workforce. The key components include:

rapid expansion and innovation in e-learning, notably online and blended learning, simulation, and open education;
new ways of working and connecting across and beyond BCIT;
re-examination of the use of space to better support learner, faculty, and staff experience.

Like many other organizations, BCIT pivoted to primarily remote learning and working in March 2020. The task in the first two components is to retain what is effective about both models longer term, and not to lose the gains that have been made in flexibility and efficiency. The third recognizes the need for BCIT to assess the evolving utility of its campuses and facilities and to align plans accordingly. Most institutions will be engaged in digital transformation; as an institute of technology, BCIT needs to be one of the leaders. Resolute focus on student support and campus life will be paramount through the transformation. In addition to advantages for the sustainability of BCIT operations, there are advantages in learner access and equity and in employee recruitment and retention—both locally and beyond—given the scope for remote work. More ambitiously, there is potential for BCIT to become a national and global brand.

The vision is for BCIT to drive strategic workforce development in support of economic recovery across BC. The key components include:

establishment of microcredentials as a new currency in skill building;
development of a social justice strategy to help embed diversity and inclusion in the workforce; and
applied research and industry collaborations to advance sustainability knowledge and practice.

Consistent with other aspects of the Strategic Plan, our focus is provincial, but our context is global. We will learn from experience and seek to inform practice beyond our borders. Our work in new models of credentialling to facilitate reskilling and upskilling is pivotal for the economy, drawing upon proprietary BCIT activity in open multidisciplinary credentials and prior learning assessment and recognition. The drive towards sustainability and equity is pivotal for society, leveraging unique BCIT expertise and resources, from environmental innovations, to Indigenous 101, to Women in Trades programs.

What sets BCIT apart in the pursuit of all three components are its provincial mandate and strong partnerships with industry and government. These enable BCIT to have impact at scale, connecting its ideas and people with practice and policy across BC. Closer to home, there are benefits for students in flexibility and relevance, and for employees in personal development.

Even before the onset of COVID-19, BCIT was on the path of transformation, guided by the Strategic Plan. These three opportunities channel and accelerate that direction of travel to reflect the unique challenges of this moment in history. They represent a new level of ambition at BCIT, one that reflects the role that we believe BCIT can—and must—play as we move forward from 2020.

Interested in learning more?

Download The Plan