Over the past two years, the federal government has made rapid, ongoing changes to the international student program. These changes have created uncertainty for students and post-secondary institutions across Canada and sent a message abroad that international students aren’t valued here.
As a result, institutions have faced financial and operational shocks that they could not reasonably anticipate or absorb.
The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT) has seen international enrolment drop by more than 55 per cent, making its current financial model unsustainable.
Due to this, MITT will wind down operations, and selected programs will transfer to Red River College Polytech (RRC Polytech).
Students remain our top priority. We want to reassure students and parents that all students will be able to complete their studies.
The transition will occur over the next year, with some programs and functions extending beyond this timeline under RRC Polytech’s leadership. Students will continue to access their programs as they currently do.
We will work closely with the Province and RRC Polytech to ensure students are supported and have a clear, well-defined plan for completing their program—whether they’re in our post-secondary, high school, adult learning, or English language programming. Any industry training that is underway will also continue to completion.
As an initial step, a comprehensive review of MITT programs will be conducted. We will engage with students, partner institutions, school divisions, industry partners, and other key stakeholders to ensure all programming and partnerships are addressed thoughtfully and responsibly.
We remain deeply committed to our students, our community, and to maintaining the high-quality education for which MITT is known.
More information and resources will be available at MITT.ca/Transition over the coming weeks. Immediate questions and concerns can be sent to transition@mitt.ca.