Hi everyone,
Tiffany here.
A quick reminder that Focus Friday is happening today (January 9th) from 12:30-1:30pm Eastern.
This week’s session is a little different. Rather than a guest presentation, we’re hosting a community conversation about what 2026 might hold for the higher education sector and how institutions are thinking about the year ahead.
We’ll use the hour to reflect together on the big questions many of us are already grappling with:
- What feels uncertain going into 2026?
- Where are institutions feeling pressure or opportunity?
- What shifts are already underway, and what might be coming next?
AI will almost certainly be part of that conversation, alongside enrolment, finances, workforce challenges, student expectations, and institutional capacity, but this is very much a participant-driven discussion, shaped by what’s top of mind for you.
The format will be informal and familiar: I’ll open with a few framing questions, and then we’ll open the floor for a coffee-chat-style conversation. Bring your questions, your reflections, and your experiences from campus. We’re keen to hear what 2026 looks like from where you sit.
If you haven’t registered yet, it’s not too late. You can still join us here.
Looking forward to thinking through the year ahead together.
Looking Back
Two weeks ago, we turned our attention to another question shaping Canadian campuses and increasingly, the labour market beyond them: what does the future of work look like in an AI era, and how prepared are our institutions and graduates for what’s coming next?
Joining me were Jake Hirsch-Allen (Director of Partnerships) and André Côté (Interim Executive Director) from The Dais, who walked us through their recent research on digital skills demand, AI exposure across occupations, and what these shifts mean for postsecondary education in Canada.
The conversation began with a reality check. Despite the rapid rise of generative AI tools, the most in-demand digital skills in the Canadian labour market remain relatively basic. Employers are still overwhelmingly looking for general digital literacy (such as Excel, office software, CRM tools) rather than advanced AI or machine-learning expertise. While demand for AI-related skills is growing quickly, it’s growing from a very small base. As André put it, the hype around AI has moved faster than its widespread adoption in day-to-day work.
Where the labour market has been remarkably consistent, however, is in its demand for hybrid skills. Even in highly technical roles, employers continue to look for communication, leadership, teamwork, and critical thinking. These human skills—often talked about, but rarely assessed or credentialed well—remain central across sectors.
The discussion then turned to The Dais’ work mapping AI exposure and task complementarity across the Canadian workforce. More than half of Canadian workers are in occupations with high exposure to AI, but that doesn’t mean they’re all at equal risk. Roughly half of those roles are “high complementarity” jobs, where AI is more likely to assist than replace workers. These tend to be higher-paying, postsecondary-educated roles that rely on judgment, synthesis, and decision-making. By contrast, occupations with more routine, structured tasks—often in back-office or administrative functions—face higher automation risk.
For postsecondary institutions, this distinction matters. The findings reinforce the value of education pathways that emphasize adaptability, reasoning, and leadership, not just technical proficiency. But both Jake and André were candid about where institutions struggle most: intentionally teaching, assessing, and signalling human skills to employers. “We’re very good at listing technical competencies,” Jake noted, “and much less good at helping students demonstrate what they can actually do in complex, human environments.”
The conversation also touched on ethics and responsible technology use—specifically, why these competencies rarely show up in job postings. While participants agreed that ethical considerations around AI are critical, André pointed out a hard truth: demand from employers remains limited. Until ethics and responsible tech use are clearly valued and rewarded in hiring, they risk being treated as “nice to have” rather than essential skills.
Still, there was cautious optimism in the room. Canada’s relatively slow and risk-averse approach to AI adoption may offer an opportunity—not to fall behind, but to integrate these technologies more thoughtfully, with greater attention to social impact, governance, and long-term consequences.
Looking ahead, Jake and André emphasized the need for closer alignment between education pathways and evolving occupations, broader AI literacy across disciplines, and expanded opportunities for mid-career upskilling. The future of work, they suggested, won’t be defined by who can code the fastest—but by who can learn continuously, work well with others, and use new tools wisely.
You can catch the full conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5W6oCHEU9M
You can find reports from the Dais here: https://dais.ca/reports/
Looking Ahead
Our next Focus Friday will take place on January 23, and the agenda is very much up to you.
If there are topics you would like us to dig into this year: questions you’re grappling with on campus, issues you would like space to unpack, or conversations you think the sector needs right now. I’d love to hear from you. You can share ideas directly by email at tmaclennan@higheredstrategy.com.
As always, thank you for being part of the Focus Friday community. I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation later this month!
Cheers,
Tiff
