Developing 'Innovation Literacy' Skills

At Ryerson University's Digital Media Zone (DMZ), students and graduates can develop digitally-based ideas into consumer products with help from mentors and industry. At Centennial College, students team up with industry to develop innovative new products, including an intelligent controller for small re-newable energy systems.

Both are examples of the innovation taking place at college and university campuses across the country.

"Innovation complements invention," says DMZ associate director Hossein Rahnama. "A lot of people think invention is the equivalent to innovation. Invention is the outcome of curiosity-driven research but making it tangible and adapting it to the needs of the community and the industry-that's innovation."

Industries looking to be internationally competitive will need graduates to help them identify new ways of solving problems implementing new technologies and increasing efficiencies to enhance competitiveness, George Brown College notes in its 2010-2011 annual report.


"They will need workers who can think creatively, work collaboratively and apply problem solving-skills to underlying problems - a proficiency commonly known as 'innovation literacy'," the report says.

But Canada is lagging behind other countries when it comes to innovation.

"Canada is doing great in terms of research...but we're not doing well at all in terms of commercializing that research," says Rahnama.

The DMZ is designed to help fill that gap and represents Ryerson's investment in the knowledge-based economy.

"Imagine if each university in Canada could have 10% of its population graduating with a company that could hire other students," Rahnama says. "It's a vision for now but we're trying to show that it's achievable."

Centennial's Applied Research and Innovation Centre works with small and medium-sized enterprises to help design, develop and launch market-ready solutions in partnership with faculty, staff and students. Its commitment to industry innovation was further strengthened when it became one of the 10 founding members of the Colleges Ontario Network for Industry Innovation (CONII).

Such opportunities help prepare graduates for careers in a knowledge-based economy, says Trish Dryden, associate vice-president of research and corporate planning.

"The world of work is changing so fast that part of the job of secondary education is to create learning opportunities so students get all kinds of skills that can be transferred to different kinds of jobs, she says.

"When students are engaged in real-world problem solving it gives them a wealth of what we're coming to think of as innovation literacy skills, which are transferable to any kind of work, including the ones they will build themselves as entrepreneurs."