Global Skills Opportunity

Your next chapter is abroad.

When students work and study abroad they bring back skills and knowledge that benefit everyone.

For students

Unlock endless potential. New global skills and experiences are ready for you.

For institutions

Globalize your campuses. Create invaluable linkages with institutions and partners overseas.

For Canada

Strengthen international networks. Increased intercultural competency will boost Canada’s ability to succeed on the world stage.

Student sitting on bench

Thanks to my GSO experience :

  • I feel confident in the workplace​
  • I gained knowledge of the European education system
  • I discovered a passion for Data Analytics
  • I have a clear sense of my educational future

Amir Salut

GSO Alumni, Simon Fraser University. Destination: Netherlands
two photos of the student in Senegal. One in front of a staircase. The other with medical scrubs and mask.

I got the opportunity to expand both my competencies as well as my knowledge and understanding of my field of study: health sciences.

Without GSO, I likely wouldn’t have been able to go on a similar educational [experience] due to financial constraints. More Canadian students need access to international experiences, such as this one, because it allows us to observe and explore important concepts from a global perspective, as well as experience new cultures, communities and environments.

I plan to use my newfound skills and knowledge regarding cultural competence and the relevance of EDI-DI for global health and community engagement when I enter the healthcare sector to connect with and provide better quality care to my patients.​

Shubh Borad

GSO Alumni. Western University. Destination: Senegal.

I truly believe that studying abroad taught me things that I would not have been able to achieve here (in Canada). The best thing about GSO is the ability within the program to meet the needs of marginalized students and provide them with opportunities they would not have elsewhere.

I think that more Canadians should study abroad because while it benefits a student in countless ways, what often gets overlooked is how the experience also benefits the home country.

I am now working with Immigration Canada, a career I do not believe I would have without my GSO experience opening up my eyes… I have achieved so many of my goals and am continuing to work toward new ones with the skills I have acquired while abroad. ​

Taylor Fennelly

GSO Alumni. University of New Brunswick. studied in Ireland
Seven students around a table with crockery and pottery from the archeological dig

Studying abroad is an excellent way for students to learn life lessons and expand their education beyond just the four walls of their institution. In doing so, we create holistic, cultured and respectful students who are able to face the world, and find their unique places in it.

Amilia Hildahl

GSO Alumni, University of Alberta. Visited Greece

How Global Skills Opportunity works for post-secondary institutions

Step one

Identify gap in ability to deliver international learning experiences

Step two

Submit project proposal with an innovative solution to Global Skills Opportunity through either Colleges and Institutes Canada or Universities Canada

Step three

Successful projects receive funding from Employment and Social Development Canada

Step four

Promote global learning opportunities to students

Step five

Students apply to participate in Global Skills Opportunity project(s) directly through their college or university

Our Funded Opportunities

INNOVATION FUNDS

Innovation Funded projects support institutions and their researchers as they build on and enhance strategic priority areas, accelerate current research and technology development, and take already-established capabilities to a globally competitive level.

STUDENT MOBILITY PROJECTS

Student Mobility Projects empowers Canadian students, especially underrepresented students, to take advantage of international learning experiences and to develop skills such as problem solving, adaptability, resilience, and intercultural competency.