Learning throughout and across life 

We learn at school, college and university, but learning does not stop at the classroom door.

We also learn at work, through volunteering, by getting involved in our communities, by supporting our families, by settling in a new country or simply by navigating the challenges life puts in our path.

These experiences lead to formal, non-formal and informal learning. The open recognition movement aims to better identify, document and value these experiences so that skills acquired in different contexts can also be recognized.

This reflection directly aligns with Collège Nordique’s mission and our commitment to lifelong learning. In the North, where professional and personal journeys are particularly diverse, recognizing different ways of learning also allows us to better reflect the experiences and realities of our communities. 

Making skills visible with Francobadges

Francobadges are one way to put this approach into practice.

Developed for Canada’s Francophone communities, this open digital badge initiative makes it possible to recognize and showcase skills and learning that may not be reflected in a traditional diploma.

For example, someone may develop leadership skills through volunteering, acquire digital skills at work, learn to navigate new systems after arriving in Canada or develop intercultural skills through community involvement.

These forms of learning are real, even when they do not appear on an academic transcript.

The goal is not to replace traditional diplomas or certifications, but rather to broaden the ways we recognize the knowledge, skills and experiences people acquire throughout their lives. 

Behind every skill is a human journey

The conferences, workshops and discussions at ePIC Canada also provided an opportunity to discover initiatives being implemented elsewhere in the country.

For Patrick, one of the highlights was a presentation by CODAC NB, an organization dedicated to developing literacy and skills among Francophone adults in New Brunswick.

Its Compétences pour s’intégrer et s’épanouir program supports newcomer women in identifying and valuing the skills they have developed throughout their lives and that can contribute to their integration, job search and community participation. Participants can also develop their digital and social-emotional skills, learn to better navigate the labour market, build a network and strengthen their confidence.

The testimonials presented in Ottawa helped put faces to a conversation that can sometimes seem very theoretical. Behind every skill developed is a person gaining greater autonomy and expanding their opportunities to participate fully in their community.

This approach has particular resonance at Collège Nordique.

Since 2026, the College and the NWT Literacy Council have been developing the Yellowknife Bilingual Community Literacy Centre together. The Centre offers free activities and services in French and English in several areas, including literacy, digital and financial literacy, tutoring, language learning and community integration.

Through this new initiative, we are also exploring the connections between learning, skills development, autonomy and community participation.  

Reconnecting with an ally of the Francophonie

Another highlight was an address by Her Honour the Honourable Édith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

The first Francophone to hold this position, Ms. Dumont has devoted much of her career to Francophone education. She notably contributed to the development of the Université de l’Ontario français before her appointment as Lieutenant Governor.

Her participation in ePIC also held particular significance for Collège Nordique. Ms. Dumont has her own ties to the North, having lived in Frobisher Bay, now Iqaluit. In a previous role, she also had the opportunity to visit the College in Yellowknife. Reconnecting with her in Ottawa was therefore an opportunity to renew ties with an ally who is already familiar with Northern realities and those of the Francophonie.

Her presence at a gathering focused on the future of learning and skills recognition once again highlighted the importance of the relationships connecting institutions and stakeholders across the Canadian Francophonie.

A conversation that extends beyond borders

Open recognition extends well beyond the Canadian context. The ePIC movement is part of an international conversation about how to recognize learning acquired in a wide range of contexts. Over the years, these gatherings have allowed people from different countries and sectors to share their practices, tools and perspectives on the evolution of learning.

Bringing ePIC to Canada now allows this conversation to continue while taking into account the country’s unique realities, particularly those of Francophone minority communities.

In Ottawa, discussions focused both on recognition tools and on the conditions needed to build a society where more people can have their knowledge, experiences and potential recognized.

This first Canadian edition concluded with ePIC Canada 2026 participants signing the Ottawa Declaration on Open Recognition of Skills. Officially launched on September 29, it follows in the footsteps of the Bologna Declaration and the Paris Declaration on Equality of Recognition. It reaffirms, among other principles, that recognition is a fundamental human practice, that everyone has the power to recognize and that recognition can be empowering.

The organizations and individuals who signed the Declaration also highlight the particular importance of these principles for Francophone minority communities in Canada and recognize the unique needs of these communities.

For Collège Nordique, these principles have particular resonance in a context where learning journeys, professional experiences and community involvement take many different forms.  

A matter of equity for the Francophonie

For Francophone minority communities, this conversation goes far beyond digital badges.

It raises more fundamental questions about access to learning and skills development, our ability to make non-traditional pathways visible and the ways we recognize experiences acquired in very different contexts.

In the North, these questions take on particular significance. The geographic, linguistic, cultural and professional realities of the territories mean that people’s journeys do not always follow a traditional path. 

The open skills recognition approach championed by RESDAC encourages us at Collège Nordique to consider how we might evolve our own practices for recognizing prior learning.

In our communities, skills are developed at work, through community involvement and through constant adaptation to Northern realities. People develop creativity, adaptability, autonomy, collaboration skills and a strong commitment to their communities. Yet these skills can remain difficult to make visible when they are not associated with a diploma or formal training.

For Mounir Barry, this reflection opens the door to a broader vision of skills recognition:

“Ultimately, our goal is to better recognize what people can actually do, regardless of where or how they learned it. Making these skills visible and valuing them could help people have them recognized not only as part of their postsecondary education, but also throughout their professional journey.”

Better recognition of this learning can help value the people who possess these skills while also strengthening the communities where they put them into practice.

This conversation about skills recognition and development also takes place within a broader context of linguistic equity. A few days after ePIC Canada, RESDAC announced that it had filed a complaint with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages regarding the distribution of certain federal funding for skills development. The complaint concerns Employment and Social Development Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

According to RESDAC, current mechanisms do not allow Francophone minority communities to benefit equitably from certain investments in this area. The organization is calling for the specific needs of these communities to be better reflected in skills development funding.

This initiative is a reminder that recognizing skills is not simply about developing new tools. It also requires creating the conditions that allow communities to develop these skills and have them recognized.

Bringing the North to the national table

Finally, ePIC Canada provided an opportunity to reconnect with partners across the Canadian Francophonie, engage with members of the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne and build new relationships with people and organizations from across the country.

For Collège Nordique, being present in these spaces is essential.

In recent years, the College has expanded its collaborations to strengthen access to education, training and French-language skills development in the North. These partnerships allow us to learn from what is happening elsewhere while also ensuring that the unique realities of the territories are represented in national conversations. 

From left to right: Yvon Laberge, Collège Éducacentre; Louka Morin-Tremblay, ACUFC; Amélie Gagnon, La Cité; Daniel St-Louis, Collège Boréal; Marie-Eve Pépin, ACUFC; and Patrick Arsenault, Collège Nordique.

Participating in ePIC Canada means contributing to the future of learning recognition while also ensuring that the North is part of that conversation.

Because if all ways of learning deserve to be recognized, all realities also deserve a place at the table.  

Continue the conversation

The Ottawa Declaration marks the beginning of a collective commitment to advance more open recognition of skills throughout and across life. RESDAC has also published a news release highlighting key takeaways from ePIC Canada 2026 and the principles behind this new declaration.