President at Humber College Institute of Technology

and Advanced Learning

“We are especially proud of the pathways between credentials. Students can start with a certificate and progress to a degree.

John Davies
• President at Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
• Former Vice President, Administrative Services
• He has been on staff at Humber College for six years.
• Philosophy: That every student deserves an opportunity to succeed at school.
• Holds degrees and post-graduate diplomas from the University of Wales, Oxford University, the University of Toronto and Brock University.

Davies was born in England. An immigrant himself, he understands the challenges of adapting to a new city, culture and home.

Engaging youth in education has been Davies’ life-long work. Prior to arriving at Humber, Davies was a high school teacher, principal, superintendent and director of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).

Davies has a unique knowledge of students’ needs at the elementary, secondary and postsecondary levels, and what is required to help them progress from their first day of kindergarten to their high school graduation.

Before joining Humber, Davies was chief of staff for the Effective Schools Task Force, charged with advising the Provincial government on ways to improve elementary and secondary school education in Ontario.

Giving back to the community As a member of the Mayor’s Making a Safe City Safer advisory panel, Davies learned that a community’s aspirations generally included: having children/youth be successful in school, achieving meaningful and well paying jobs for individuals and family members and to live in a safe and secure neighbourhood.

Davies noted that being successful in school often leads to steady jobs, which provides the means to living in a safe and secure neighbourhood.

Community support is very important at Humber. In fact it is part of the college’s mission to develop broadly educated, highly skilled and adaptable citizens who significantly contribute to the educational, economic, and social development of their communities.

Humber created a specialized Community Outreach and Workforce Development Unit to carry out Humber’s mission to support local communities through outreach activities. The unit works with community agencies and government to create a wide-range of programs, services and partnerships that create pathways for individuals from under-represented groups, such as youth, immigrants, aboriginal peoples, and unemployed individuals to postsecondary education and/or gainful employment.
Humber in the Jamestown Community Under Davies’ leadership, Humber has conducted a number of outreach initiatives in support of the Somali and African communities in the Rexdale, Jamestown and Lakeshore neighbourhoods.

Fowzia Mahamed, a settlement worker at Elmbank Junior Middle School in Jamestown, has worked with Davies on many of the Somali-oriented programs.

“Davies is the first president to attend events and develop partnerships and services to meet the needs of the Somali community. He has a strong presence in the community and a strong grip of the reality that this community faces. Jamestown was a neighboring community that was ignored in the past. When Davies became president of the college, he was instrumental in making the needs of the community a priority at Humber.” said Mahamed.

One of the most important ways Humber has contributed to the Somali community is the Pathways to Education program in Jamestown. Davies led the early implementation of the program in the area. The program provides Jamestown area youth with $1,000.00 towards their postsecondary education for each year of high school they attend and complete from grade nine to 12. When the student graduates from high school, they can use the money to help pay for college or university. This program is effective in addressing the 37 per cent high school drop-out rate in the Somali community.

“We are especially proud of the pathways between credentials. Students can start with a certificate and progress to a degree” ( John Davies)

Davies was a school superintendent in the Regent Park area when the Pathways to Education program was launched in the region. When he arrived at Humber, Davies was committed to bringing Pathways to Education to Jamestown because he knew first-hand how successful the program could be in improving education in the neighbourhood.

Humber also helped to build the governance and capacity of local organizations in Jamestown. Through this capacity building program, Jamestown resident Khadra Hussein was able to branch out and develop her own organization tailored to the needs of Jamestown women, girls and families. Through her connections with professors at Humber she was able to apply for proposals, seek out a charitable number and build the governance structure of the organization.

New Jamestown youth programs are also in development. One future initiative that Humber is supporting is Parents as Partners in Education, a program to help build the capacity of immigrant parents with the educational system. The goal of this program is to assist parents in North Etobicoke to become more active partners in their children’s schooling.

Humber Community Initiatives in Etobicoke (North Lakeshore and Etobicoke, available to all equity seeking groups) Another valuable initiative for Etobicoke-area Youth offered at Humber is the Dual Credit program, an Ontario-wide strategy to help students complete high school. The program works by enabling high school students to earn a college credit by taking a class at Humber, taught by a college teacher. If the student achieves a grade of 60 per cent or higher, they receive both a college credit and a credit towards their Ontario Secondary School diploma.

“Humber is a full-service educational institution that enables students to pursue and personalize the educational path that is best for them” ( John Davies)

Davies’ commitment to community support extends to programs designed to help immigrants and foreign trained professionals to adjust to life in Toronto. Working with a variety of partners, Humber programs enhance job training, develop language skills and create employment opportunities.

Recently, the province of Ontario provided funding for 50 internationally trained engineers to complete Humber’s Engineering Connections: Software Skills Enhancement program, delivered in partnership with ACCES, an employment and training agency.

Humber’s immigrant career counseling served more than 760 new Canadians in the last year as part of the CON*NECT Colleges Integrating Immigrants into Employment project. A new program, Occupationally Specific Language Training in Business and in Technology, was launched this year to upgrade immigrants’ language skills, a barrier to employment often cited by potential employers.

Diversity at Humber

Humber's organizational culture fosters excellence in its employees and students through innovative, learner-focused programming, and by promoting creative partnerships with a sense of respect for community and citizenship. Humber acknowledges the dignity and contributions of each individual in its diverse community through fair, ethical and courteous actions and communications.
Humber participates in four Local Immigration Partnerships across Toronto that plan immigrant services in local communities with key stakeholders. Partnerships serving the Somali/East African community groups in Etobicoke include the Horn of Africa Community Development, Somali Canadian Association of Etobicoke, Dixon Community Services, Somali Canadian Women's Association, Madbakh Women’s Initiative and VESA-Vital Enrichment Service Association.

Humber offers a number of retraining programs and programs available through the Ontario government’s Second Career program.

Providing opportunities to youth outside of the classroom is also important to Humber. The college’s Camp Choice program targets local students in grades 6 to 8, introducing them to postsecondary programs and career opportunities before they enter high school. Many participants are from the Rexdale community, including those from families who cannot afford to send their child to summer camp.
Other youth programs include:
The Jump Theatre project
Hot lunch programs
Homework clubs
ProTech Centre

Humber will continue to offer relevant diploma and certificate programs, while growing its degree programs.

A key part of Humber’s vision is to build pathways between credentials. Students can start in a certificate program and progress to a diploma. Another option is to start with a diploma and progress to a degree. For students with a diploma or degree, Humber offers post graduate certificates.

The pathways available at Humber offer students multiple points of access to programs and postsecondary education.

Ultimately, Humber’s goal is to produce job-ready graduates. A wide-variety of programs and multiple pathways, help students to learn the theory and skills that employers want.

Scholarships
There are a variety of entrance and school or program specific scholarships available, as well as community and government grants and loans.

Here are some quick facts about Humber

- Founded in 1967
- Has 21,000 full-time students and 55,000 part-time registrants
- More than 1,800 students from more than 75 countries around the world study at Humber
- Receives more than 55,000 program applications annually; more than any other Ontario college
- Offers 150 full-time programs in more than 40 areas of study across eight academic schools, including:

Applied Technology
The Business School
Creative & Performing Arts
Health Sciences
Hospitality, Recreation & Tourism
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Media Studies & Information Tech
Social & Community Services
- Offers 1,400 continuing education courses
- Offers 12 specialized degree programs along with a collaborative nursing degree with the University of New Brunswick
- Eighty-five per cent of Humber graduates are employed within six months of completing their studies
- Has three campuses – North Etobicoke, Lakeshore and Orangeville
- Student services included a career centre, health centre, counseling and student development services, math centre, writing centre, peer tutoring and international and aboriginal student services and services for students with disabilities
- Has more than 80 social clubs organized through the Humber Students’ Federation
- Has 15 Varsity sports teams
Academic Curriculum and Credentials

Students can earn credentials including four-year bachelor's degrees, two- and three-year diplomas, postgraduate certificates, certificates, and apprenticeships.

Humber’s curriculum combines theoretical and practical learning with relevant work experience and the opportunity to participate in applied research. Students have pathways and transfer options from one credential level to another, allowing each student to pursue their academic and career goals.

In the community, Humber works to create opportunities for families to provide financial support for students to go to Humber. A current program is underway at Elmbank Junior Middle School.

Every year, Humber has an information day at Albion Mall. This is an opportunity to introduce Humber to the community and connect with youth and their parents.

“Whether it’s at the secondary or postsecondary level, Humber is in the business of helping kids to be successful in school. Success at school leads to success at work and in other areas of life,” said Davies. “We work with local schools and community organizations to deliver hands on experiential programs designed to inspire youth to engage with learning and graduate from high school, offer help such as access to homework clubs, and create opportunities to experience and explore pathways to postsecondary education.” (John Davies)

Humber College President John Davies had a conversation with Immigrant Post magazine