George Brown’s polytechnic shift redefines career-focussed education in Canada
February 9, 2026
As students increasingly prioritize employability and real-world experience, many are rethinking traditional pathways into higher education.
Rising tuition costs, mounting student debt and less direct routes to employment have led growing numbers of learners to seek alternatives that offer hands-on training, industry-relevant skills and opportunities to apply learning in practical, meaningful ways.
Across Canada and globally, this shift reflects a broader recalibration of what students expect from post-secondary education. Credentials alone are no longer enough.
Today’s learners want confidence that their investment of time and money will translate into tangible career outcomes, adaptability and long-term growth. They are looking for education that is connected to industry, community and the realities of a rapidly changing economy.
Against this backdrop, George Brown’s transition to a polytechnic represents more than a name change. It is a strategic response to evolving learner needs and workforce demands, reinforcing the institution’s long-standing commitment to applied education, innovation and career readiness.
Through industry-aligned programs, experiential learning opportunities and deep employer partnerships, it equips students with the skills, confidence and experience needed to graduate job-ready and positioned for long-term success. The shift acknowledges what the institution has long practiced, and that is learning is most powerful when theory and practice move together.
To mark the transition, George Brown launched ‘George BrOWN Your Tomorrow’, a brand campaign that introduces its evolution from college to polytechnic while reinforcing its focus on future-ready learning. The campaign underscores a simple message. Education should grow with learners, not end when a credential is earned.
Under the astute leadership of President Dr. Gervan Fearon, the institution continues a tradition of connecting classroom learning to real-world careers.
For the educational leader, the polytechnic model is not about hierarchy or prestige, but about coherence, ensuring that students can see themselves not only starting a career, but advancing within it.
“One of the defining strengths of the polytechnic model is seamless integration across programs and credentials,” said the Canada-Caribbean Institute co-founder. “A student can start at any point in their education and work their way forward. Someone might begin with an interest in becoming a chef. Five or ten years later, that same person could be running a small business or managing a large operation.”
To support that trajectory, George Brown has expanded beyond traditional culinary arts programming to include a four-year Culinary Management degree, a move that reflects how industries evolve and how learners grow within them.
What begins as skill acquisition can become leadership development, entrepreneurship or executive responsibility.
The transition to a polytechnic also coincides with the launch of the Master of Construction Management, a program designed to prepare professionals for senior leadership roles while supporting the next generation of industry growth.
“We recognize that many people already in the workforce are seeking advancement,” Fearon said. “Graduate-level education is often part of that progression. By offering a master’s program, we are supporting learners along their entire career path.”
For Toronto and Ontario, that continuity matters.
Construction, infrastructure and urban development remain critical to economic stability and growth. A program that combines applied learning with graduate-level leadership training helps ensure the city’s workforce is not only skilled, but resilient and forward-looking.
Hands-on learning remains central to George Brown’s educational philosophy. Students regularly gain real-world experience as part of their studies, working on active projects that mirror the demands of professional environments.
One of the most visible examples is Limberlost Place, a 10-storey mass timber building on Queen’s Quay East. Students in construction and building programs contributed directly to the project, gaining experience that extends far beyond classroom simulations.
Limberlost Place is Ontario’s first institutional mass timber building designed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. It stands as both a physical structure and a learning environment that reflects the intersection of sustainability, innovation and applied research.
“By working on projects like this, students gain experience that translates immediately to the workplace,” said Fearon who became Canada’s first Black university president at Brandon in Manitoba in 2014. “At the same time, they are participating in cutting-edge innovation.”
For decades, a prevailing belief has suggested that university education leads to stronger career outcomes, while colleges and polytechnics are sometimes misunderstood as offering limited or narrowly focused training.
Fearon said the polytechnic model directly challenges that assumption.
“What defines a polytechnic is not simply the name,” he noted. “It’s the way we teach. There is a direct alignment between what happens in the classroom and what students will be doing on the job.”
That alignment extends beyond teaching into research and innovation. George Brown consistently ranks among the top 10 colleges and polytechnics in Canada for research, with applied research embedded across programs and sectors.
Limberlost Place is a clear example of how that approach works in practice.
“When we put it up, we became a leading institution in mass timber construction,” Fearon said. “We helped de-risk mass timber for institutional use and worked with the province to update the building code to allow structures of up to 12 storeys. That work did not remain confined to policy or engineering circles. It was brought back into the classroom, shaping new programs focused on mass timber construction so students could train for an emerging sector already reshaping the built environment.”
A similar philosophy underpins George Brown’s Electric Vehicle Technician Certificate Program, which prepares students for careers in the rapidly expanding EV sector. As transportation systems evolve and governments invest in electrification, demand for skilled technicians continues to rise.
“Our students are not only preparing for the jobs that exist today,” Fearon said. “They are preparing for the jobs that will exist tomorrow.”
Beyond workforce preparation, Fearon emphasized that the transition to a polytechnic reflects George Brown’s broader commitment to community engagement. The institution’s campuses are deeply embedded within Toronto’s neighbourhoods, industries and cultural life.
“Our campuses are more than just buildings,” the former University of Washington Visiting Scholar said. “They are gateways to the community.”
That connection is particularly important in a city as diverse and fast-changing as Toronto. From construction and hospitality to design, early childhood education and health services, George Brown’s programs intersect directly with the city’s daily functioning.
Toronto’s creative technology and entrepreneurial sectors are evolving rapidly, and George Brown is positioning itself to remain connected to industries that barely existed a decade ago.
In 2024, Canada’s largest professional association of graphic designers recognized the polytechnic as the number one design school in the country, based on the quality of student work.
“This recognition reflects how students are contributing to emerging fields,” said Fearon who was recognized with a University of the West Indies Vice-Chancellor’s Award in 2020. “From game design and architecture to product development, graduates are not just entering these industries, but they are helping shape them.”
That impact extends well beyond Canada’s borders.
While many graduates of the George Brown College School of Design work in design studios, creative agencies, technology companies and design-led organizations across Canada, a significant number are employed internationally, contributing to the college’s reputation for producing industry-ready graduates.
Supporting this innovation is the Teaching and Learning Exchange (TLX), a centralized hub that provides professional development, resources, and just-in-time training for both full-time and contract faculty. The TLX supports teaching across in-person, hybrid and fully online environments, ensuring instruction evolves alongside industry expectations.
It also supports participants in the OpenAI Innovation Challenge, an initiative designed to position George Brown as a leader in leveraging artificial intelligence across teaching, research and operations. The program empowers employees to explore practical AI applications that enhance learning and institutional effectiveness.
Studying in Toronto can be expensive, due to both tuition and living costs. George Brown, which last year became the first college to host Canada’s largest academic congress, is no exception.
However, Fearon emphasized that higher education remains one of the most valuable investments a person can make, particularly when pathways are flexible and accessible.
“For domestic students, most full-time programs cost between $5,000 and $8,000,” he said. “That is reasonably accessible. We also offer online courses, continuing education and laddered programs so students can build their education step by step. Those laddered pathways allow learners to begin with a certificate, move into a diploma and later pursue a degree without starting over, a structure that reduces financial strain while supporting long-term advancement.”
The polytechnic also offers extensive preparatory programming through its School of Work and College Preparation. These programs include academic upgrading, pre-programs for health sciences and community services and specialized training for learners facing complex barriers.
“Not every learner has had a smooth educational journey,” said Fearon whose commissioned portrait adorn the Senate Chamber walls at Brock University where he was president for almost four years. “Our responsibility is to meet people where they are and help them get where they want to be.”
That inclusive philosophy extends across George Brown’s many community-embedded learning environments.
The Chef’s House, a student-run restaurant at 215 King Street East, allows culinary students to gain real-world experience in a professional setting. The polytechnic operates 14 childcare centres across the Greater Toronto Area, providing early childhood education students with hands-on training. The WAVE Dental Clinic delivers affordable dental services to the public, provided by students under supervision.
“All of this ensures that graduates enter the workforce ready to contribute immediately,” Fearon said.
Looking ahead, the Order of Ontario recipient sees success not just in employment rates, but in sustained growth and confidence.
“Success means students know we are there to support them beyond their first job,” he said. “If they need to develop new skills or adapt to change, we provide that support.”
That vision includes a focus on emerging technologies and the evolving nature of work.
George Brown is already examining AI’s role across multiple sectors, ensuring students are prepared to engage with new tools responsibly and effectively.
On campus, this future-focused approach is matched by a culture of accessibility.
Fearon may occasionally be seen playing table tennis in the hallways or stopping for coffee with students, but he is quick to note that this openness reflects a broader institutional culture.
“It’s not just me,” he said. “Our professors, staff and leadership are engaged in campus life. We have hosted world leaders and opened those conversations to students.”
For prospective learners, that culture is a powerful signal.
Choosing George Brown means entering an environment where learning extends beyond lectures and labs, where relationships matter and where students are seen, supported and encouraged to belong.
As part of its evolution, the polytechnic has honoured its past by naming the Chef School atrium after William Peyton Hubbard, a baker, inventor and civic leader whose life reflects courage, innovation and public service.
Born in 1842 at the corner of Bloor Street West and Brunswick Avenue to parents who escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad, he rose from humble beginnings to leave an indelible mark on Toronto.
While delivering bread in the early 1870s along Don Mills Road, Hubbard witnessed a pair of runaway horses dragging a carriage toward the Don River.
Undeterred by the risk of injury or death, the baker brought the horses under control and rescued their passenger, George Brown, a politician and founder of The Globe which later merged with the Mail & Empire in 1936 to form The Globe and Mail. He was also one of the Fathers of Confederation and a pivotal figure in the formation of Canada.
Impressed by Hubbard’s courage, Brown hired him as a driver and later encouraged him to pursue municipal politics.
In 1894, he became Toronto’s first Black elected official. He went on to win 14 additional elections, serve multiple terms as acting mayor and help reform the Municipal Act to protect public finances and expand civic infrastructure. He also played a key role in advocating for publicly owned hydro, contributing to the creation of Toronto Hydro.
Hubbard retired from city council in 1913 due to his wife’s declining health and died of a stroke in April 1935 at his Broadview Avenue home. He was 93.
The naming coincides with George Brown’s Black Futures Month and the 30th anniversary of Black History Month in Canada, reinforcing the importance of recognizing contributions that have long shaped the city and its institutions.
“It’s important that our post-secondary institutions reflect an inclusive Canada,” Fearon said. “February allows us to highlight Hubbard’s contributions not only as a Black leader, but as an innovator in culinary and civic life.”
Together, the transition to a polytechnic and the tribute to Hubbard signal an institution looking forward while remaining grounded in history and committed to applied learning, community engagement and an inclusive vision of education that reflects the city it serves.
