Executive Brief

President
British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

September 2022

Strategic Priorities & Actions

BCIT Strategic Plan

Reach. Relevance. Renewal. 2019-2023

The Strategic Plan is BCIT’s overarching document, setting out their commitments for the coming years. Three major commitments shape the Strategic Plan. BCIT intends to be a people-focused organization that delivers future-proof applied education, amplifying its impact through globally relevant connections.

The foundation of BCIT’s strategy reflects the ever-shifting landscape and reinforces their points of difference in a complex and demanding world. Nine initiatives aligned with three commitments create a framework for action and decision-making. Learn more about these commitments:

Commitment 1: People-Focused Organization

BCIT cares deeply about people, and the plan signals a new level of commitment to their students, faculty, and staff. Investment in learner success, employee talent, and enabling infrastructure is fundamental to BCIT’s vision of empowering people. It is something that the Institute believes will further differentiate BCIT as an educator, employer, and partner of choice.

  1. Learner Support and Services
  2. Faculty and Staff Development
  3. Process and System Redesign

Commitment 2: Future-Proof Applied Education

BCIT has always committed to future-proof applied education. What is different in this plan is an explicit acknowledgment of the urgent need for renewal, coupled with the existence f an evidence-informed roadmap for change in their first Education Plan. These initiatives build directly from that plan.

  1. Renewal in Flexible Studies
  2. Interdisciplinary and Integrative Learning
  3. Augmented and Sustainable Environments

Commitment 3: Globally Relevant Connections

Creating and sustaining effective collaborations is a major undertaking. This plan encourages a strategic approach that channels effort towards those that yield the greatest societal value and mutual benefit. Such partnerships are critical if BCIT is to enhance its relevance and reach – provincially beyond.

  1. Indigenous Perspective and Priorities
  2. New Models of Collaboration
  3. Open and Representative Community

Click here to learn more about BCIT’s Strategic Plan.

For some Northwest Coast First Nations, a Copper — a traditional copper shield — symbolizes wealth and power. Knowledge is power. A Copper gains value the more it changes hands and is broken and put back together. Life can be challenging, but much like a Copper, BCIT students build strength as they gain knowledge and overcome challenges. That is why BCIT chose the Copper to symbolize this Indigenous Vision.

Indigenous Vision

BCIT has developed this Strategic Plan in parallel with the formalization of the BCIT Indigenous Vision. The two are mutually reinforcing; together, they provide a framework for action and accountability.

Priorities for Action

As BCIT implements the Indigenous Vision, the Institute has agreed on the main focus areas. These align with both the CICan principles and their objectives. With the learner at the centre of their planning, BCIT has developed three types of actions:

  • Inclusion actions are people-focused and intent on building awareness and understanding around Truth, Reconciliation, Indigenization, the legacy of colonization, and the contemporary reality of Canada and Indigenous people.
  • Accountability actions strive to create an environment in which all learners, specifically Indigenous learners, find themselves reflected across the Institute and supported by programs, policies, and services designed to meet their needs.
  • Relationship actions foster a culture in which respect and collaboration underpin all that BCIT does. Based on authentic and sustainable partnerships, these actions represent progress towards a future in which BCIT works together to promote the place and space of Indigenous people.

Click here to learn more about BCIT’s Indigenous Framework

BCIT is one of Canada’s largest post-secondary aerospace trainers, with a 300,000 square-foot Aerospace Technology Campus, a fleet of over 20 aircrafts and programs for aircraft maintenance, and commercial pilot training in both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.

BCIT Education Plan

The Education Plan operates in conjunction with the Strategic Plan. The Education Plan brings forward new ideas and non-traditional solutions that will help BCIT lead the way well beyond 2022.

Foundation for Differentiation

To remain relevant and unique, the Institute’s core objectives in the Education Plan are to amplify and embed their emphasis on interdisciplinarity, flexibility, and responsiveness.

  • Interdisciplinarity – as the world becomes more complex, new discoveries increasingly occur at the interface of traditional fields, and BCIT graduates are expected to work confidently on multidisciplinary projects and teams.
  • Flexibility – as students increasingly require flexibility in how they study, they will respond by providing a comprehensive spectrum of education models that enable greater choice.
  • Responsiveness – as complex problems and solutions continue to be redefined, addressing them well requires close collaboration with BCIT’s partners so that they remain in step with the changing world around them.

Click here to learn more about BCIT’s Education Plan.

BCIT’s Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

As embedded in the BCIT values, the Institute is committed to fostering a community permeated with equality and inclusivity. BCIT has established an Anti-Racism Framework that outlines the Institute’s commitment to eliminating all forms of racism within the community. It identifies four key priority actions to advance anti-racism, including building awareness, using data to increase BCIT’s understanding of the impacts of race, enacting policies and human resource strategies, and creating inclusive learning environments.

BCIT’s Respect, Diversity, and Inclusion Office undertook forming an Anti-Racism Working Group and developing BCIT’S Anti-Racism Framework.

Click here to learn more about BCIT’s Anti-Racism Framework.

People Vision

Putting people at the core of everything they do is paramount at BCIT. In a complex and uncertain world, BCIT aims to ensure its people are developing while feeling valued, supported, and connected.

BCIT’s inaugural People Vision describes the Institute’s goals and priorities in respect of their people—those who make BCIT distinct. The Vision creates a framework for the Institute’s efforts to support employee development, build an inspiring workplace, and honour employees’ commitment to BCIT.

Key Objectives

Growth: We aspire to support the personal and professional development of our employees, at the same time strengthening our organizational capacity for impact.

Effectiveness: We aspire to create a workplace that promotes and facilitates momentum, collaboration, and efficiency in all that we do.

Culture: We aspire to foster a collegial and positive environment that supports our employees in doing and being their best, knowing that their supervisors and peers have their backs.

Click here to learn more about the BCIT People Vision

Learn More: BCIT’s Action Plans & Initiatives

Learn more about how BCIT uses action plans to focus on specific areas arising from the higher level Strategic Plan:

  • Education Plan: Bringing forward new ideas and non-traditional solutions. 

Learn more about the BCIT Education Plan

  • Sustainability Vision: Leading socially-just lives within ecological limits.

Learn more about the Sustainability Vision

  • Anti-Racism Framework: Actively engaging in the elimination of racism and discrimination.

Learn more about the Anti-Racism Framework

  • People Vision: Creating the future together.

Learn more about the People Vision

  • Campus Plan: A vision for the future of the Burnaby campus.

Learn more about the Campus Plan

  • Strategic Enrolment Management Plan: Addressing BCIT’s enrolment cycle from end to end—from planning, through to retention, completion and transition to alumni. BCIT is currently in the process of creating its first SEM Plan that will guide their collective efforts and decision making on enrolment.

Executive Director, Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships, Kory Wilson launches the Indigenous Vision which represents BCIT’s commitment to taking sustainable actions that build awareness and understanding around Truth, Reconciliation, and Indigenization.

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