Episode #93: What Are You Gonna Do for This Country in the Next 100 Years? With Kumaran Nadesan of Computek College
Computek College turns 35 this year. If you speak to virtually any member of Canada's 500,000-strong Tamil Canadian diaspora, someone in their circle studied there. Elected officials, business owners, healthcare workers — the college's roots run so deep in the GTA's immigrant communities that its reach is measured less in enrollment numbers and more in families.
Kumaran Nadesan, CEO of Computek and Group CEO of 369 Global, joined the college five years ago after 15 years in the Ontario provincial government. He came in with a policy mind and a community organizer's instincts — and he's been applying both ever since. In this episode of the EdUp Canada Podcast, host Michael Sangster sits with Kumaran across conversations about a 750-PSW Durham Region partnership, a Kenya pilot program designed to train future Canadian healthcare workers at source before they ever land, and a recently published book — The Impolite Canadian: Why Playing Nice Is Costing Us the Future — that asks a direct question of everyone in every room they have the privilege of occupying: what are you going to do for this country?
The episode covers everything from cybersecurity curriculum to cultural intelligence to what it means for an instructor who's been at Computek for years to have changed more than a thousand families — not just students. It's a conversation about a sector that has been doing labour market integration for over 160 years, and a college that is quietly extending that work to Kenya, East Africa, and beyond.
Episode #92: Two-thirds had never been on a Set. Now There's $100 million in Production with Andrew Barnsley of the Toronto Film School & Executive Producer, Schitt's Creek
Most people who've watched Schitt's Creek, Son of a Critch, Kids in the Hall, or Jann don't know they were watching a career college story unfold.
Andrew Barnsley — executive producer of all four, president of the Toronto Film School, and one of the most respected television producers in Canada — has spent the last several years running both a production company and an institution purpose-built to fill the creative industries with the people those productions need. In this Canada Day edition of the EdUp Canada Podcast, he makes the case that those two roles are not as separate as they sound.
The conversation starts in Newfoundland, where Andrew traces what five seasons of Son of a Critch did to an entire province's film industry: when they arrived, the province had roughly one and a half crews; when they left, it had more than doubled. $100 million in production flowed through in 2025 alone. That growth didn't happen by accident — it happened because the labour pool deepened, and labour pools deepen through training.
At Toronto Film School, Andrew is investing in the infrastructure that makes that depth possible: a new campus with motion capture studios, a theater, sound recording booths, and $2.5 million in state-of-the-art production equipment. The Hollywood Reporter has named it one of the top international film schools in the world for three consecutive years.
But the conversation's most memorable moment happens at a wrap party in Newfoundland, where Andrew turns to a grip and says: "Never forget how important your work is. When we do our jobs right at every level, we're impacting the world." It's a line he's been saying to students, too — and it's the clearest explanation of why he's doing both jobs at once.
Episode #91: He Can't Sell Sonography Machines. There's No One to Run Them with Dr. Sherif William
Most career colleges operate inside an office park or a downtown tower. Mississauga Career College operates inside a building that also houses a private school, a museum, a family service center, a food bank — and two churches, one of them so striking it stopped host Michael Sangster mid-sentence when he walked through the door.
Dr. Sherif William, a medical doctor by training who arrived in Canada and found his way into career college education in 2018, now directs the college. It's owned by a not-for-profit charity built specifically to serve newcomers to Canada — and the model shows up everywhere, from a personal support worker program that's graduated nearly 700 students directly into local care homes, to a free tuition policy for students who genuinely can't pay, with every dollar of revenue cycling back into community programs like food banks and orphan support.
In this episode of the EdUp Canada Podcast, Sherif walks Michael through what it actually takes to get a 2,400-hour diagnostic sonography program approved in Ontario — a three-year process derailed midway by a regulatory rule change that sent them back to square one. He explains the college's unusual pre-medical pathway, which guarantees acceptance into four Caribbean medical schools for students who complete two years and hit an 80% success threshold. And he talks about a partnership with ACHEV, a government-funded settlement organization offering low-interest student loans specifically for newcomers training in regulated health programs.
It's a conversation about regulation, community, and what a career college can look like when its mission is community service first and everything else second.
Episode #90: 100 Students Want to Be Doctors. 3% Will Make It. Here's What Nobody Tells the Rest with Jason Chu
Most people picture a career college student as someone fresh out of high school looking for a fast path to a job. Jason Chu wants you to think again.
As Director of Operations at AAPS College of Health Sciences and Technology — formerly the Academy of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences, founded in Toronto in 2003 — Jason works with students who already hold bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and PhDs. Scientists who went through every academic credential the system offers and still couldn't land a job in the field they trained for. Internationally educated medical doctors who practiced for a decade and arrived in Canada to find their credentials didn't transfer. Food science graduates discovering that there's no job title called "biologist" — but dozens of openings in quality control.
AAPS exists to bridge that gap. In this episode of the EdUp Canada Podcast, Jason walks host Michael Sangster through what that actually looks like: a six-to-eleven-month postgraduate diploma program, industry professionals teaching live curriculum, an alumni network of managing directors and VPs who recruit directly from current cohorts, and career services that starts halfway through the program — because three months in, students are already applying for jobs.
He also tells the stories that stay with him: a PhD student who'd lost all hope, hired within three months of starting. A medical doctor who practiced overseas for a decade, companies lining up before he graduated. And a clear-eyed argument for why the career college sector — misconceptions and all — is doing work Canada can't afford to undervalue.
Episode #89: Maybe they don't need to be nurses...challenging the PSW assumption with Raelynn Douglas
Everyone agrees Canada has a healthcare workforce crisis. Almost no one is looking at it correctly.
Raelynn Douglas — CEO of Rae Soleil Consulting, MBA in health and life sciences, and author of The Billion Dollar Blind Spot — spent years watching the same conversation repeat itself: not enough workers, recruiting from the Philippines, signing bonuses, and a vague commitment to improving staff wellbeing. Her argument is that this is a retention problem masquerading as a recruitment problem, and that no one is calculating what it actually costs.
The math is not subtle. An organization of 5,000 staff with 30% turnover, using a conservative $15,000 replacement cost per person, is leaking $22.5 million every year — scattered across line items, never totalled, never actioned. Gallup calls the global version a trillion-dollar preventable problem. Raelynn calls the Canadian healthcare version a billion-dollar blind spot.
On this episode of the EdUp Canada Podcast, host Michael Sangster brings Raelynn's financial and HR lens into a direct conversation about personal support workers, career pathing, the role of skills training, and what "super PSWs" could look like if we stopped treating the workforce as transactional. Her book is a field guide for healthcare leaders who want the conditions of work to change — and this conversation is a sharp, practical extension of that argument.
Episode #88: There's a Daycare Inside This Career College. That's the Point…with Mina Tadrous
Most people think of a career college as a stepping stone. Mina Tadrous, Director of Campus Operations and Student Affairs at the Ontario Institute of Health and Innovation (OHII) in Toronto, sees it differently — he sees it as a turning point.
Mina is a career college graduate himself. He completed a paralegal program at Herzing College during a difficult stretch of his own life, went on to practise as a paralegal, and eventually found his way back to the sector as an employee — spending 12 years helping students do exactly what the college once did for him. In this episode of the EdUp Canada Podcast, host Michael Sangster sits with Mina inside the OHII campus to talk about what that career-changing impact actually looks like in practice.
They cover the college's newly accredited Early Childhood Educator program — one of only a handful in Ontario — and the deliberate investment in a hands-on lab built to industry standard. They talk about the 150 employer partners OHII has built relationships with, what it takes to make a placement turn into a same-day job offer, and why industry is increasingly turning to career colleges to find work-ready graduates. And they have an honest conversation about the challenges facing the sector: regulatory instability, lack of consultation, and the difficulty of planning for the long term when policy can shift week to week.
If you want to understand what's actually happening inside Canada's career college sector right now — from the student experience to the employer relationships to the regulatory pressures — this is the episode.
Episode #87: Can Canada Deliver? Women, Leadership, and the Systems Behind the Build with Emily Feairs and Frédérique Tsai-Klassen
Canada is in the middle of what its Prime Minister calls a "hinge moment" — a decade of building that demands billions in federal investment across construction, defense, energy, and housing. There's just one problem: every one of those sectors is operating with a fraction of its available talent. Only 5% of women work on construction sites. Only 4% serve in the army. And despite decades of initiatives designed to attract and retain women in skilled trades and strategic sectors, the numbers aren't moving.
In this episode of the EdUp Canada Podcast, host Michael Sangster sits down with Frédérique Tsai-Klassen and Emily Feairs — co-founders of The Power Shift — to ask a harder question than most: what if the system itself is the problem? Drawing on their widely-read Hill Times op-ed on Canada's trade strategy and the grassroots convenings drawing hundreds of women from across government, industry, academia, and the forces, Frédérique and Emily make a compelling case that training more women isn't the answer — rebuilding the institutions those women are walking away from is.
Expect an honest, evidence-grounded conversation about structural barriers, what it actually takes to retain skilled talent, what sectors and countries are getting it right, and what Canada's window of opportunity looks like right now.
Episode #86: "AI Can't Cut Hair: Human Connection and the Trades That Will Always Matter" with Cheryl Harrison
What happens when a 35-year career in beauty education meets a country that still doesn't fully understand what skilled trades look like? Cheryl Harrison, Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of MC College, has spent over three decades answering that question — one student at a time.
In this episode of the EdUp Canada Podcast, host Michael Sangster sits down with Cheryl for a wide-ranging conversation about the real scope of skilled trades in Canada, the private investment that builds world-class campuses without government funding, and the quiet crisis hiding in plain sight: a generation of young Canadians who have never learned to talk to a stranger.
Cheryl shares the story of a Fort McMurray student told she wasn't smart enough — who crossed a graduation stage with a pair of shears from her father. She unpacks the four-year battle to change a student aid policy that held back career college students in Alberta. And she shares the single question her mentor gave her decades ago that she still uses to navigate the hardest situations in leadership: "Do you want to be right, or do you want to be effective?"
This is a conversation about what career college education actually delivers — and why it matters more than most Canadians realize.
Episode #85: "It's Going to Happen to All of Us": Why Palliative Care Training Can't Wait with Tiara Sisson
What happens when Canada doesn't have enough trained workers to care for its aging population — and what role do career colleges play in closing that gap? In this episode of the EdUp Canada podcast, host Michael Sangster sits down with Tiara Sisson, President of Life and Death Matters, an organization that has partnered with career colleges across Canada for over 15 years to train personal support workers, healthcare aides, and continuing care professionals in palliative care.
Tiara brings a remarkable personal history — from special education to legal work to directing administration at one of North America's largest correctional facilities — all leading to her current mission: ensuring that the men and women entering Canada's long-term care and hospice sector leave their training not just with technical competence, but with the emotional intelligence, resilience, and palliative approach that defines truly excellent care.
This is a conversation about the value of skills-based training, the very real funding pressures facing Canada's career college sector, and why the stakes have never been higher for getting palliative care education right.
Episode #84: "Only 3% of Canadians Study Abroad — Here's What It Costs Us” with Larissa Bezo
What happens when the country with one of the world's strongest education brands spends two years changing the rules — 16, 17, 18 times? You get instability. Perception damage. And students looking elsewhere.
In this episode, Michael Sangster sits down with Larissa Bezo, President & CEO of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about the state of Canada's education system — where it broke, what it's costing us, and what it will take to rebuild.
Larissa doesn't pull punches. She explains why Canada's next decade must be defined by trust rather than growth, reveals that a startling 3% of Canadian post-secondary students study abroad (compared to far higher rates in Europe), and makes the case that every part of Canada's education ecosystem — from career colleges training personal support workers to research-intensive universities — has a unique and vital role to play.
She also shares the story of the mentor who helped build Medicare under Tommy Douglas, and how his belief in thinking decades ahead rather than in election cycles shaped her own approach to public service.
Episode #83: "250 Students in One Year: Filling Canada’s Mental Health Skills Gap with Dylan Matter” with Dylan Matter
What does it actually take to change a family’s trajectory? In this episode of EdUp Canada, host Michael Sangster sits down with Dylan Matter, Chief Operating Officer of Cambria College in British Columbia — a leader with 18 years in the career college sector who has quietly become one of its most respected voices.
Dylan opens up about his unlikely entry into education (hint: it started behind a coffee bar), what it means to watch a first-generation graduate walk across a stage surrounded by 15 proud family members, and how Cambria trained 250 mental health support workers in a single year — not because the government asked, but because the community needed it.
Together, Dylan and Michael dig into the layers of regulation most people never see, why the location of a career college in a strip mall or above a restaurant is a deliberate strategy — not a compromise — and what it really means when a school’s survival depends entirely on whether its graduates find jobs. This is an honest, grounded conversation about what skills training looks like from the inside.
Episode #82: "The College Where Volunteering Pays the Tuition” with Tim Ogilvie
What happens when the healthcare system is so desperate for trained workers that employers are sponsoring students before they've even been accepted into a program? That's just one of the realities Tim Ogilvie — VP and Dean of MCG Career College and Chair of the Alberta Association of Career Colleges — unpacks in this conversation.
Tim grew up in rural Nova Scotia, the son of a factory worker, and found his footing through a small private career college. That experience never left him — and it's driven a career built on fighting for students who need fast, flexible, affordable pathways into the workforce. From healthcare programs with $25,000 signing bonuses to a college that lets students pay 100% of their tuition through community volunteering, Tim makes the case — with data and hard-won stories — that career colleges aren't an alternative path. They're often the best one.
Episode #81: "Most Working Actors Trained at a Career College" with Michael Coleman
What does it actually take to build a lasting career in one of Canada's most dynamic industries — film and television? Michael Coleman, President and CEO of Vancouver's Story Institute, has spent over 35 years answering that question from every angle: as a working actor, a prolific writer, a voice artist, and now as the founder of a provincially regulated career college that does one thing exceptionally well.
In this episode, Michael pulls back the curtain on what makes career college training fundamentally different from a traditional academic path — and why that difference matters for students, for the industry, and for the broader Canadian economy. From a student who landed a role in a Christoph Waltz feature, to a graduate who became a fan favourite on a globally streamed series, Michael's stories illuminate what happens when practical training meets real industry opportunity.
Whether you're weighing your options for skills training, leading an institution, or thinking about how career colleges contribute to local economies, this conversation will shift the way you think about what education can look like.
Episode #80: Alex Usher on Post-Secondary Squeeze, Student Debt, and the Future of International Education
What does Canada's post-secondary system actually deliver — and for whom? In this candid, wide-ranging conversation, Michael Sangster sits down with Alex Usher, one of Canada's most respected higher education analysts and president of Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA), to take an honest look at the pressures reshaping post-secondary education in Canada.
Usher pulls no punches: university systems are more financially fragile than colleges, student debt is set for a sharp rebound, and Canada may be sleep-walking into a workforce crisis driven by demographic decline and misguided immigration policy. But there's optimism here too — for the institutions nimble enough to move fast, build strong outcomes, and demonstrate clear value for students and society.
This episode weaves through student debt trends, OSAP reform, the international student caps, global talent flows, career college perceptions, and the remarkable resilience of skills-first education — all filtered through Usher's signature blend of data rigour and straight talk. Whether you're setting education policy, leading a career college, or deciding where to invest your tuition dollars, this conversation gives you the unvarnished picture.
Episode #79: No ECE Shortage, No Waitlists: What One Province Got Right with Cindy Lidster
Canada's healthcare workforce isn't just stretched — it's cracking. And the institutions best positioned to fix it are being overlooked, undersupported, and in some cases, actively undercut by operators running so-called "colleges" that are little more than nursing homes with a logo.
In this episode of the EdUp Canada podcast, host Michael Sangster sits down with Cindy Lidster — a former nursing professor at the University of New Brunswick turned career college founder and president of the New Brunswick Association of Private Colleges and Universities. Cindy saw two things coming in 2014 that nobody wanted to believe: that the future of frontline nursing would be delivered primarily by personal support workers and healthcare aides, and that the future of education delivery was going online. She built her college around both predictions before most institutions had even started the conversation. When the pandemic hit, she was ready.
In this episode, you'll hear what it actually looks like to run a high-standards career college in a province that's quietly building one of the most collaborative relationships between private colleges and government in the country. You'll hear about two women in their early twenties who gave up their home in Scarborough, quit their jobs, and moved to New Brunswick — all to enroll in a PSW program they hoped would lead to permanent residency and a career in care. Their placement partners want to hire them full-time. Cindy is quietly waiting to see how it ends.
You'll also hear about a sector working hard to clean its own house: the site visits that revealed "colleges" operating out of care homes, the association standards being built to mean something beyond a government checkbox, and the LPN training waitlists that are already so long Cindy is drafting a proposal for a third provider in the province.
If you've ever wondered whether skills-based training can genuinely change someone's life — or what it looks like when a province actually gets career college policy right — this episode is a masterclass.
Episode 78: 3,000 Jobs, No Graduates: Career Colleges and Canada's Dental Crisis with Cheryl Russell-Julien & Tara Fitzpatrick
Canada is in the middle of a dental assisting crisis — and most people have no idea. In this special Dental Assistants Recognition Week edition of the EdUp Canada podcast, host Michael Sangster sits down with two of the sector's most respected voices: Cheryl Russell-Julien, Director of Academics and Quality Assurance at a regulated career college and a leader within NACC member institutions, and Tara Fitzpatrick, CEO of the Ontario Dental Assistants Association (ODAA).
Together, they unpack what it actually takes to become a dental assistant through a career college, why over 3,000 dental assistant positions sit vacant in Ontario alone, and why recent changes to federal and provincial training grant funding could make things dramatically worse. You'll hear real stories from the chair — from a dentist in Cornwall who couldn't open his office for three days because his assistant was sick, to students who walked out of career college programs feeling genuinely prepared, career-ready, and connected to a profession for life.
If you've ever wondered whether a short, focused training program can truly launch a meaningful career — or what happens when healthcare workforce pipelines start to crack — this episode is your answer.
Episode 77: Dental Assistant Recognition Week: Natalie Marsh on Demand, Training, and the Future of Canada’s Oral Health Workforce
On the EdUp Canada podcast, host Michael Sangster speaks with Natalie Marsh, President of the Canadian Dental Assistants Association, to mark Dental Assistant Recognition Week and discuss the essential role dental assistants play in Canada’s oral healthcare system amid growing attention on dental care and the CDCP. Marsh describes significant demand across provinces, growing student interest with waitlists, and persistent shortages tied to retention, fair wages, licensing costs, and maternity leaves and retirements. She explains the one-year, dentistry-focused training pathway, national licensing exam, and province-by-province differences in scope of practice that complicate mobility and drive the need for greater standardization. Marsh shares why the work is rewarding—especially helping patients regain smiles with dentures—highlights posture and adaptability as key skills, and emphasizes advocacy to make dental assisting better understood as a regulated healthcare profession.
Episode #76: Breaking Profession Prejudice: The Real Value of Skills Training with MP Garnett Genuis
MP Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for Employment, joins host Michael Sangster to tackle Canada's youth unemployment crisis and reveal why career colleges are essential to closing the nation's skills gap. This conversation goes beyond politics to explore how training systems can—and must—evolve to meet labour market demands, the hidden costs of "profession prejudice," and why every job deserves dignity and respect.
5 Reasons You Should Listen
Discover the real drivers behind youth unemployment – Learn how immigration policy, training misalignment, and economic factors create barriers for young workers, plus specific policy solutions being proposed to address these systemic issues.
Understand the 80% employment success rate – Hear about groundbreaking research showing career college graduates find work directly related to their training at rates traditional universities can't match, revealing what makes skills-focused education so effective.
Learn about policy changes affecting student aid – Get the inside story on Budget 2024's proposal to eliminate student grants for private institutions and why this could hurt the very programs training workers in high-demand fields like nursing and healthcare.
Explore how to match training with real job opportunities – Gain insights into the geography gaps, skills mismatches, and credential recognition challenges preventing qualified workers from filling available positions across Canada.
Rethink what makes a "good" career – Challenge assumptions about university versus trades through powerful stories about personal support workers, skilled tradespeople, and the philosophy that all work—when done with creativity and passion—deserves equal respect.
Sea of Opportunities - Episode 19 "From Sea to Civilian Success: Why Naval Officers Make Invaluable Hires with Lt. Jordan Monroe"
On this special episode of the EdUp Canada podcast, Sea of Opportunities, host Michael Sangster sits down with Lieutenant Jordan Monroe, a 16-year Royal Canadian Navy veteran and Naval Warfare Officer aboard HMCS St. John's. Currently deployed on a six-month mission to Europe, Lt. Monroe shares candid insights into what naval careers actually look like—from the educational opportunities that drew him in, to the 702 days he's spent at sea, to the leadership skills that make veterans invaluable in any workforce.
This conversation goes beyond recruitment talking points. Lt. Monroe discusses the real challenges of deployment life, how modern connectivity is revolutionizing family communication at sea, and why the ability to "learn fast and deal with things you've never seen before" is the most transferable skill the military builds. Whether you're exploring naval careers, working with veterans, or simply curious about what life aboard a Canadian warship entails, this episode offers an authentic look at service, sacrifice, and skill development.
Sea of Opportunities - Episode 18 "250 Miles From Land, Closer to Space: Inside the Life of a Naval Warfare Specialist" with Petty Officer First Class Anthony Hickey
On this special episode of the EdUp Canada Podcast, Sea of Opportunities, host Michael Sangster sits down with Petty Officer First Class Anthony Hickey aboard HMCS St. John's Halifax in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. With 21 years of service in the Royal Canadian Navy, Hickey shares his journey from basic training to becoming an Above Water Warfare Director—the pinnacle of his specialized trade.
In this conversation, Hickey opens up about leading a team of 15 sailors, the profound moments that make naval service rewarding (including unexpected whale watching), and the real sacrifices families make to support those who serve. He discusses his six deployments across the Persian Gulf, Black Sea, and Baltic regions, and explains what Operation Reassurance 2025 means for Canada's NATO commitments.
This episode explores the unique career opportunities available in the Royal Canadian Navy, from specialized electronic warfare training to leadership development programs. Hickey also addresses the evolution of family support systems within the military and why more Canadians need to understand the scope and impact of the RCN's global operations.
Whether you're an elected official considering military investments, a career college leader exploring partnership opportunities, or a student seeking a meaningful career path, this conversation offers an authentic look at what naval service truly means.