With technological changes and new societal concerns, certain professions have been completely transformed in recent years. Universities are well placed to see these trends and must constantly adapt their programs accordingly. And we’re scrambling for graduates.
“Twenty years ago, we taught how to make interactive CD-ROMs and websites, whereas now, we create interactive technological paths: students don’t know what they will do later, so they have to learn how to learn and work collaboratively,” says Danny Perreault, professor at the Media School of the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) who teaches in the bachelor’s degree in communication (media creation – interactive media).
For example, they must complete an end-of-studies project for which they are given a broad theme. “A little about start-up mode [jeune pousse] or artist residency, the group must arrive with a project proposal and as a teacher, we guide them, we support them in the realization, he explains. We are in experiential teaching which allows them to explore and develop their autonomy. »
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Hugues Sweeney, president of Thinkwell Studio Montreal
Hugues Sweeney, president of Thinkwell Studio Montréal, completed a master’s degree in the field at UQAM at the end of the 1990s. What he does today obviously has nothing to do with what he learned on school, but a certain basis remains. “The training includes a theoretical, reflective and critical component to learn how to develop concepts, then there is the technical component to be able to understand what we need to deliver and achieve it,” indicates the one who, at Thinkwell, can count on on a few people who come from interactive media and who work in collaboration with engineers and designers.
Like Thinkwell, several other companies hire graduates in interactive media, from Moment Factory to the National Film Board (NFB) of Canada.
Before, our estate was tucked away, but now it is much better known, while practically every municipality wants their Foresta Lumina. The market has exploded and there are a lot of job prospects. Sometimes, at the end of the baccalaureate, it is even necessary to retain students who already have a foothold in a company.
Danny Perreault, professor at the UQAM Media School
This program is also eligible for the Perspectives Québec Scholarships created to increase the number of qualified people in professions prioritized by the Quebec government where there is a shortage of labor.
Hugues Sweeney confirms that recruitment is highly competitive. “There are several projects to be carried out in digital creation in the world and Montreal is an important city in the field, but there are not enough people to do all the work,” says the one who has just finished, with his team mainly based in Montreal, Harry Potter park, in Tokyo.
Finance increasingly sustainable
Another area currently undergoing profound transformation is finance, which must increasingly take sustainable development into account. For this reason, the John Molson Executive Center at Concordia University created the Sustainable Investment Professional Certification in partnership with the Sustainable Finance Initiative.
“We are increasingly asking portfolio managers to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into their decision-making process because clients are asking for it,” notes Amr Addas, professor in the School’s finance department. John Molson Management.
However, it is not that simple. “If we are interested in the social aspect of a company, we must look at the working conditions of its employees and its partners,” he explains. We are also interested in companies that have a business model with a low carbon footprint. All, of course, while maximizing yield. »
The hundred-hour certification is made up of three online courses. “The program gives students the opportunity to benefit from the experience of Manulife portfolio managers to whom they must present their decisions to update a fictitious portfolio taking into account ESG factors,” adds the professor.
Great needs in information sciences
As we are connected for almost everything today, this creates an astronomical amount of data that must be acquired, stored, organized, managed and distributed. This is the heart of the master’s degree in information sciences at the University of Montreal.
The program, offered by the School of Library and Information Sciences, is internationally recognized since it is accredited by the American Library Association. It is then possible to hold a host of jobs, from research data manager to librarian to archivist.