Overview

Practical online learning to meet present and future learning needs for our stakeholders.

Targeted online professional development tailored for the immigration sector is evidently necessary. Feedback from our extensive network comprising service providers, policymakers, researchers, and educators indicates a strong demand—95% of respondents express a desire for such e-learning opportunities.
The proposed solution entails the provision of accessible, focused e-learning modules that leverage the collective expertise within the network. These modules will be presented in engaging multimedia formats within a pedagogically robust framework. Guided by these principles, we have developed uMetropolis, an online learning platform aimed at addressing current and future challenges pertaining to migration, integration, inclusion, and Canadian history. uMetropolis offers accessibility, enabling users to engage with the platform from any location at any time.
Furthermore, its pricing structure is designed to facilitate access for a wide spectrum of learners. The courses provided are geared towards equipping learners with practical skills to tackle real-world challenges encountered within the immigration field. Additionally, uMetropolis boasts contributions from over 40 experts within the Metropolis network, with this pool of expertise continually expanding.

uMetropolis courses combine video lectures from experts in the field, interactive e-learning activities and supplementary reading to provide learners with a practical insight on subjects related to migration, diversity and inclusion.

The primary audience for the platform is the Metropolis Canada network. The network has approximately 5,000 members, who are primarily researchers, settlement service providers, or community workers. Of the 241 respondents to a survey circulated by email to the Metropolis mailing list in June 2019, 95 percent expressed interest in e-learning targeted to the settlement sector.

Expert Contributors

Guiding Principles

Facilitate Knowledge Sharing
We are not the only knowledge holders. We ally with partners to bring the voices and resources into one place
Interdisciplinary and Cross-Sectoral Learning
The learning experience has contributions from as wide a range of disciplines and professions as possible.
Practical Learning
Learners are able to convert the knowledge into practical applications in their field.
Accessible Learning
Fewest barriers to participation in the online learning as possible regardless of knowledge level.

Courses coming soon

Measuring Immigrant Integration in Canada
This course aims to provide a cross-sectoral understanding on the state of immigrant integration in Canada. The Canadian Index for Measuring Integration (CIMI) will be showcased as a practical tool that takes a comprehensive approach in measuring the outcomes of immigrants.

Managing Immigration during a Global Health Crisis
This course will examine the principal challenges around migration and settlement encountered by Canadian immigrant service providers and policy-makers during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 - January 2022).

Building Awareness, Documenting Barriers & Identifying Best Practices to Combat Racism.
In this targeted course, the audience is settlement service providers (SPOs) and civil servants at various levels of governance. The course is structured into four modules, each covering different aspects of systemic racism, fighting racism, racism cases and the legal system, and government and workplace anti-racist initiatives. The course features video lectures by experts in the field, including Fo Niemi, Bochra Manaï, Julius Grey, Bernie Farber, Teresa Woo-Paw, and Linton Garner.

Immigrant Youth in Canada’s Labour Market
In Canada, despite high educational attainment, immigrant and refugee youth face higher unemployment and often end up in low-skilled, low-wage jobs compared to native-born peers (Shields and Lujan 2018; Statistics Canada 2019; Turcotte 2019). In response, World Education Services (WES) and the Canadian Council of Youth Prosperity (CCYP) launched a partnership in 2021, establishing a National Roundtable on Workforce Development for Immigrant Youth. They convened a National Town Hall in February 2022 to gather firsthand experiences and research insights. The resulting report informed WES's sector-wide initiatives and programming for immigrant and refugee youth in 2023. This uMetropolis course, developed by WES and the Metropolis Institute, delves into the report's findings, exploring the gap between immigrant and refugee youth's academic achievements and their challenges in entering the workforce.

Navigating Francophone Immigration in Canada: Understanding, Collaboration, and Integration
As the demographic weight of francophones in Canada continues to diminish, immigration has become an even more pertinent issue to address when discussing the survival of Francophone minority communities across the country. Conversations about the increased diversity within the Francophonie Canadienne have largely been connected to the topic of immigration, and the array of states from which migrants are immigrating to Canada from; as a result, it is imperative to understand the impact that the intersection of immigration and diversity have on understandings of what it means to be Francophone across Canada.

Course Pre-Registration