Today we are very pleased to welcome Jim Vanderveken to the podcast. As the Dean of the Centre for Community Partnership and Experiential Learning, Jim leads Mohawk College’s strategic commitment to postsecondary access, partnership development at the community level, and experiential learning.
In our conversation today, Jim and I talk about the work of City School and the Challenge 2025 initiative in Hamilton: how it started, some of the early achievements, challenges and hopes for the future.
Challenge 2025 is an ambitious initiative to bring all of Hamilton together to develop and strengthen the demand-led workforce: connecting employers, educational institutions at every level, government at every level, social and human services organizations, and most importantly learners and people who want to find and retain meaningful work, to build the pathways that will make Hamilton a leader in workforce development and poverty reduction.
Success for Challenge 2025 will mean strong connections and clear pathways across the whole ecosystem and more opportunities for meaningful, good jobs for the people of the region. We hope to check in with Jim and his team several times as the Challenge 2025 initiative builds, and this is the first of those conversations.
Resources:
The Hamilton Spectator article: Mohawk unveils big plans for its unique approach to education – https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2020/11/07/mohawk-unveils-big-plans-for-its-unique-approach-to-education.html
CBC article: Mohawk College aims to get 3,000 people jobs and 1,000 people into school by 2025 – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/mohawk-college-challenge-2025-1.5796534