The Embark Student Foundation awards $2.1 million to five post-secondary institutions across Canada as part of its Major Grants Program
Since 2023, the program has awarded $4.8 million to schools to enhance the student experience in Canada and expects to award millions more over the next three years.
TORONTO, Feb. 12, 2025 /CNW/ - Embark Student Corp. ("Embark"), Canada's education savings and planning company, today announced the 2025 recipients of the Embark Major Grant Program.
Launched in 2023, the Embark Student Foundation Major Grant Program awards millions to post-secondary institutions to support innovative programs, services and initiatives that have a positive impact on student experiences in Canada. Each post-secondary institution selected will receive between $250,000 and $500,000 to build their programs and realize their goals. So far, the company has awarded $4.8 million to universities, colleges and trade schools across Canada and expects to award millions more over the next three years.
"These are challenging times for students and our educational ecosystem," said Andrew Lo, President and CEO, Embark. "Through the Embark Major Grant Program, we aspire to support innovation and make education more accessible, affordable and better for all."
2025 Recipients of the Embark Major Grant Program
School |
Program |
Amount |
Algonquin College |
Supporting Vulnerable Youth: A Transdisciplinary |
$400,000 |
BC Institute of Technology |
Strong Foundations: Building BC's Skilled Trades |
$500,000 |
Memorial University of |
Innovating for the Future: Centre for Social |
$500,000 |
Queen's University |
Future Minds: Artificial Intelligence, Machine |
$250,000 |
York University |
EmpowerAbility: Workforce Transitions and Career |
$500,000 |
Overview of Recipient Programs
Algonquin College – Supporting Vulnerable Youth: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Service Transformation in NEET ("TASTE Initiative")
While Canada boasts one of the highest levels of post-secondary education attainment in the world, just over one-in-ten youths between the ages of 15 to 29 are not employed or not in an education or training program (also referred to as NEETs). Recognizing the social and economic benefits of re-engaging this vulnerable group in education, Algonquin College's successful Social Innovation Lab will work with community partners to create models for service transformation and reactivate NEETs through meaningful experiences to aid in the discovery of career choices and relevant educational opportunities.
The TASTE initiative also provides current Algonquin students with valuable work experience, enhancing their educational and career aspirations during and after post-secondary.
British Columbia Institute of Technology - Strong Foundations: Building BC's Skilled Trades Workforce
The skilled trades in BC are facing critical challenges, despite tremendous investment in apprenticeship. An insufficient number of Canadians are entering the apprentice pathway and this recruitment challenge is further intensified by a retention issue.
This initiative targets a diverse audience, encompassing not only apprentices and trainees, but also employers, post-secondary technical educational institutions, and industry associations. Funding will be used for research to collect and analyze data to identify specific barriers and failure points that hinder students from completing their programs. It will also support the implementation of a pilot project aimed at improving resource access and retention rates, with key components including a mentorship program, an apprenticeship leadership program, and a conference for trades instructors centered around creating inclusive learning environments. The results of the findings will be shared to help fill critical roles in industry to strengthen and shape the trades workforce in BC.
Memorial University - Innovating for the Future: Centre for Social Enterprise
Since its inception in 2017, Memorial's Centre for Social Enterprise (CSE) has raised the profile of social innovation as a powerful solution to the real and complex needs of individuals and their communities. Social enterprises understand that communities are strongest when their individual members are too, and prosperity balances economic and social development as the most important indicator of a society's success. This economy of care values performance indicators like social well-being, environmental health and cultural diversity to measure quality of life.
Funding will be used to provide new innovative and unique experiential learning opportunities for students to lift social and financial barriers in this important sector.
Queen's University – Future Minds: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Robotics for Young Learners
AI systems often mirror the biases present in their training data, leading to discriminatory outcomes that disproportionately impact marginalized communities. A growing body of research underscores the importance of diversity in fostering innovation, particularly in AI development. This issue is particularly pressing as AI becomes increasingly integrated into key sectors such as healthcare, criminal justice, and employment.
Under the leadership of a team at Smith Engineering, funding for Future Minds will be used to deliver a comprehensive series of initiatives aimed at providing K-12 students and educators with equitable, age-appropriate, hands-on learning opportunities in artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics. The goal is to introduce advanced tools that enable real-time object recognition, facial detection, and gesture control, promoting interactive learning and problem-solving, and to inspire and equip underrepresented youth to pursue careers in AI and STEM fields. The program aims to ultimately foster a more inclusive generation of AI developers. These efforts will not only lead to the creation of fairer AI systems but will also help to cultivate a workforce that better reflects the diversity of the world it serves.
York University - EmpowerAbility: Workforce Transitions and Career Readiness for Students with Disabilities
The 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability highlights a disparity in unemployment rates and wages: individuals with disabilities experience nearly twice the unemployment rate of their non-disabled peers, and their median wages are 5.5% lower on average. The insufficient support for students with disabilities to navigate the labour market exacerbate these disparities.
As a leader and innovator in promoting accessibility, York University is expertly positioned to spearhead programs designed to address these distinct needs. Funding will be used to empower students with disabilities and reduce stigma and attitudinal barriers that prevent people with disabilities from having the same social and economic opportunities as others. It will offer tools and support, including educational resources, career counselling, employer networking, mentorship, and advocacy tools. Additionally, the program will develop novel online educational resources for students, employers, faculty, and staff to raise awareness and promote a more inclusive environment, reducing stigma that may prevent disclosure.
About The Embark Student Foundation Major Grant Program
The Embark Major Grant Program provides funding for innovative programs, initiatives or services that support student success before, during and beyond their post-secondary years. Through this grant program, Embark wishes to partner with post-secondary educational institutions in their efforts to advance access, agency and innovation that will empower students to take hold of their future. Grants of $250,000 to $500,000 are available annually. Efforts are made to represent all types of post-secondary educational institutions and regions in Canada.
About Embark Student Corp.
Embark is Canada's education savings and planning company. With $6.6 billion in assets under management, the company is committed to empowering families along their post-secondary journeys, giving them the resources and tools they need to better save for all that comes with an education. Registered as a Scholarship Plan Dealer across Canada, the company manages almost 600,000 RESPs. Last year students withdrew over $663 million to help pay for their education with an Embark plan.
SOURCE Embark Student Corp.
Media Contact: Alex Shinnan, [email protected], 204-558-2025
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