From classroom to career: how Durham Region is building futures close to home

As Intelligent Community of the Year, Durham Region is putting its global recognition into action. In late May, we brought together educators, business leaders and community partners to explore how to create more opportunities for people living and working in Durham.

Working together to create opportunity

At the heart of that work is a shared approach. It’s about bringing government, industry and schools together. That collaboration is what sets Durham apart, helping ensure you and your family can build futures close to home. “Being part of an Intelligent Community is really about being part of this strong ecosystem where you’re recognizing all of the assets within the community and saying yes to working with them,” explains Jennifer Alsop, CEO of EDGE at Ontario Tech University. She adds that it’s about “taking each other’s strengths and saying how do we build something that’s going to make this region even better?”

A strong education foundation

That approach shows up in Durham’s post-secondary schools. We are home to four well-recognized campuses that welcome more than 30,000 full-time students annually. As Dr. Scott Henderson, Vice-President and Head of Trent University Durham GTA, explains, “we all have our unique strengths, but they are all complementary. What you're getting when you locate a business, or you're already here in Durham Region, is graduates with diverse skills, with a range of innovative ideas and possibilities.” 

The diversity of skills and ideas doesn’t happen by accident. Durham’s college and university students gain real-world experience through co-ops, community-based research, living labs and other hands-on learning that helps solve real-world problems and generates business solutions. Dr. Elaine Popp, President of Durham College explains, “as a college, we are listening to what the needs are in the small, medium and larger enterprises around us.” She adds that providing students with experiential learning prepares them to “leave as graduates to completely career ready.”

Connecting talent and employers

That connection works both ways. It’s not just about preparing students for the workforce, it’s also about helping employers find the talent they need. As Alsop explains, “we are preparing students academically, giving them the skills that they need, but we're also taking a responsibility to help them find those career paths and integrate with the employers in the region and make those connections.” With 83 per cent of residents over 18 holding a certificate, diploma or degree, Durham has a strong and educated workforce, giving local employers the talent they need to grow in key industries and emerging sectors like clean energy, advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence.

Building the conditions for success

While our post-secondary schools play a critical role in developing talent, the Region works to create the conditions for that talent to succeed by attracting employers, strengthening key industries and promoting economic growth. “We rely on the region to be that place where students want to stay and live and grow and prosper,” shares Popp.

Through Invest Durham, the Region actively works to attract new businesses, support key industries and grow local entrepreneurship. “It’s about making sure talent and opportunity connect right here in Durham,” says Sandra Austin, Commissioner of Community Growth and Economic Development for Durham Region. “That means attracting investment, supporting businesses and creating the conditions for long-term career growth.”

Results for residents

It’s that kind of connection that helps define Durham as an Intelligent Community. “It’s really all about the interconnectivity,” emphasizes Henderson. “Not just technologically but also having all of the different components like innovation, great ideas and the talent to implement those ideas. It’s having opportunities that can be used to grow the community as well as contribute to everybody’s wellbeing.” In Durham, that means making sure education leads to real opportunities so people can build their careers and their lives close to home.

This is the first in a series sharing stories about our Intelligent Community recognition — highlighting how Durham Region is creating opportunities and building a strong, connected future for residents.