In 2022, Greystone College in Canada identified an opportunity to expand its offerings in tech education. While already providing a strong portfolio of career-focused programs, the college recognized the growing demand for hands-on training in technology roles. To enhance its tech pathway and equip students with job-ready skills for the digital economy, Greystone partnered with Wawiwa Tech. Together, they launched a new kind of educational experience – tech and business reskilling diplomas designed to help students get useful skills and career opportunities to succeed in Canada and internationally. What started as a bold idea became a game-changer. Read the story of how it happened.
Starting the Wawiwa-Greystone College Partnership
Wawiwa Tech and Greystone College signed a partnership agreement to offer Wawiwa’s Analista de datos, Desarrollador Full-Stacky Desarrollador Frontend programs as vocational diplomas at Greystone College in Canada.
Part of the ILSC Education Group, Greystone College has a strong legacy of providing career-focused education to international students. While language training is delivered by ILSC Language Schools, Greystone College has always specialized in vocational programs, offering diplomas in business, digital marketing, and hospitality across its campuses in Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto.
Canada’s tech industry has long been a driving force of innovation and economic growth, creating demand for skilled professionals. The country attracts around 32,000 tech workers annually from across the world, yet the need for job-ready talent continues to grow.
Together, Greystone and Wawiwa adapted the programs to the Canadian market and aligned on a smooth rollout, equipping international students with the skills needed to succeed in tech, in Canada and beyond.
Approval for Tech Training by Canadian Authorities
To bring the new tech diplomas to life, Greystone College needed official approval from Canadian authorities. With Wawiwa’s support, the programs were adapted to meet the country’s academic and industry standards, including alignment with the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system.
Approval was successfully obtained in British Columbia in 2023, followed by Ontario after a more extensive review. These milestones validated the programs’ quality and gave students confidence in their value for launching a tech career in Canada and beyond.
Preparation to Enroll Students in Vancouver
Before launching the first cohorts, Wawiwa trained Greystone’s sales teams in Latin America and Europe, equipping them with the tools to promote the new tech diplomas. This helped create excitement and drive early interest among international students.
Greystone became the first partner to integrate Wawiwa’s AI Chatbot into the Full-Stack Developer Program, giving students instant support while learning to code. The college also created promotional videos and updated its website to clearly present the programs and skills taught.
Wawiwa supported the hiring and training of expert instructors and enhanced the learning experience with new tools and a smooth LMS integration. The goal: to give students everything they need to succeed – from enrollment to job readiness.
Launching the First Cohorts
In January 2024, Greystone College launched its first cohort of the Wawiwa-powered Data Analyst Program – a 20-week diploma covering tools like Excel, Power BI, SQL, and Python, along with key analytical and business skills.
By March, Full-Stack Developer and Frontend Developer cohorts followed, attracting aspiring developers aiming to join Canada’s tech industry. High demand led to a second Data Analyst cohort as early as April, showing strong interest in Greystone’s tech training offerings.
The programs, lasting 5–15 months, combine Wawiwa’s job-effective training with Greystone’s local content to help students succeed both professionally and culturally.
Brad Johnson, Director of Programs at Greystone College, Vancouver, said:
Co-op: Gaining Hands-On Experience and Industry Connections
At Greystone College, the learning goes beyond the classroom – students gain real-world experience through Co-operative Education (Co-op), a widely adopted model in Canada that integrates academic study with practical work experience. Co-op allows students to work and earn money while they learn, building industry connections and gaining hands-on experience in their chosen profession.
At Greystone College, Co-op students receive unparalleled support, including access to an extensive employer network and guidance from an experienced co-op advising team.
Recognizing the importance of strong employer connections, Wawiwa met with the Greystone team managing Co-op to share insights on best target employers for graduates and strategies to prepare students for Co-op job interviews.
Attracting International Students with Tech Training
A few months after Greystone College launched its first cohorts, Leah Mansoor, VP of Business Development at Wawiwa Tech, visited Canada to meet with Greystone leadership and take part in the Spring Career Fair for International Students – an excellent opportunity to understand firsthand the career aspirations of international learners and the challenges they face in Canada’s job market.
The visit strengthened the partnership between Wawiwa and Greystone, offering valuable insights into student visa limitations and the rising demand for tech talent. Leah’s meetings helped shape future strategies to ensure that international students can successfully enroll in the diploma programs.
Wawiwa Tech: Your Partner in Reskilling and Upskilling Your Ecosystem to Tech
Wawiwa is reskilling the world to tech. Wawiwa is a global tech education provider, which bridges the tech skills gap by establishing local tech training centers and programs with partners around the world. Over the last few years, we’ve announced Wawiwa-powered partnerships across 6 continents, in Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Romania, Portugal, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Japan, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
We offer our local partners innovative programs that incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) modules, reskilling individuals for high-demand tech jobs, such as Full-Stack and Frontend Developers, Data Analysts and Scientists, Cybersecurity and DevOps Specialists, UX/UI and Graphic Designers, Product Managers, QA Specialists, and Online Marketers. We also provide a range of B2B upskilling tech and AI courses, designed to keep companies and their teams up to date with the latest technology trends and tools.
Wawiwa utiliza una metodología de formación mixta de eficacia probada, contenidos de vanguardia, plataformas digitales de aprendizaje de última generación y sólidas relaciones con la industria, lo que garantiza programas de formación tecnológica que redundan en una mayor empleabilidad y satisfacción de los graduados. Esto cultiva una marca de formación fuerte y establece un negocio sostenible para los socios de Wawiwa.
Wawiwa is actively seeking university and college partners around the world. If your institution is looking to integrate reskilling and upskilling programs into its offerings, we‘d be delighted to provide more information and discuss potential collaboration.
Estudio de caso completo
Want to get the full-text case study of Wawiwa and Greystone College in Canada? Fill out your details below.
