When the time comes for students to select an ideal program, they can choose from several career paths: should they go into business, pursue studies in teaching, or specialize in programming? To get off to a good start, they will need to pick a postsecondary institution that will play a crucial role in their professional success. Now, more than ever, the current labour market values French proficiency. Thus, Francophone and bilingual institutions are well positioned to ensure that students stand out to the best employers in the country.
Francophone and bilingual postsecondary institutions place their students’ success at the very heart of their mission, proposing diversified and personalized training programs, and making their services and financial support available. Attending these institutions means that students will learn in inspiring environments where they will nurture their critical thinking, curiosity, and openness to the world, while their programs reflect realities that matter to them. Within these postsecondary institutions, they will become outstanding and prominent specialists.
Postsecondary institutions in Francophone minority settings
The Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne (ACUFC) brings together 22 postsecondary educational institutions that offer French-language training in minority settings, outside Quebec. Delivering some 1,200 programs in more than fifty training locations, across eight provinces and one territory, ACUFC members offer very distinctive learning contexts: colleges, universities and programs enhanced by mutual articulation agreements, small and larger institutions, as well as rural and urban living environments. They will shape their students’ pathways in close collaboration with the teaching body, in a human-scale setting, within a multicultural student community.
Furthermore, colleges and universities play a pivotal role in Francophone communities where they’re situated. Their programs often include experiential learning, allowing for student participation in local economic development. Also, research carried out by these institutions helps to better understand the realities and challenges facing Francophone communities. In sum, they train members of tomorrow’s qualified workforce who will stand out in the labour market because of their deep knowledge, technical competencies and mastery of French and English.
Finally, pursuing postsecondary studies in French turns out to represent a genuine economic asset for a flourishing personal and professional life: on average, bilingual individuals earn more than their unilingual counterparts!
Five much sought-after professional fields in the Canadian Francophonie
From literature to public relations, and from translation to environmental technologies, our member institutions deliver an array of diversified and specialized programs, from which graduates contribute directly to ensuring the vitality and development of Francophone minority communities. Currently, five major sectors are experiencing a high demand for skilled professionals in these communities, and their expertise is greatly valued across the Canadian Francophonie.
1. Medicine, nursing and health sciences
Are your students concerned about people’s health? Do they want a profession that positively impacts the lives of communities? They belong in the health field! Postsecondary institutions propose a whole range of Francophone or bilingual health programs aimed at training health professionals in various fields, such as nursing, medicine, dental hygiene and pharmacy. Besides holding stable and gratifying professions, personal health care attendants, opticians, social workers, and laboratory assistants support the active and equitable offer of French-language health and social services across Canada. Students have everything to gain: they will enjoy the opportunity to learn along the best health care specialists, develop practical skills in laboratory sessions, and enhance their analytical mind while doing placements in hospital, clinical, and care centre settings. If they seek to participate in advancing the health field and improving the wellbeing of others, guide them toward a health program!
2. Law and justice
Are your students showing astute critical thinking? Are they passionate about issues that involve all dimensions of society? A law career is a natural fit! Postsecondary institutions have introduced several French-language programs designed to train future bilingual actors in the area of justice. From law to community services, colleges offer training as legal assistants and paralegals, and in police service techniques, intervention techniques in criminology or fire services. As for universities, they take pride in offering a French-only common law section, staffed by experts in various legal fields. Students can choose from a variety of topics, such as environmental law, human rights, public law, Aboriginal law, linguistic rights, and much more. If they wish to protect people, enhance legal research or join community services, a law or community services program is the best option.
3. Education and early childhood
Are your students prepared to play an instrumental role in educating future generations? Do they demonstrate innovation in their explanations? Education or early childhood suits them perfectly! Postsecondary institutions deliver specialized programs in early childhood education, elementary and secondary education, special education and teaching French as a second language. Students gain sound general knowledge in various school subjects, develop the abilities and skills required to teach and create tailored educational environments, while applying their learning through placements in schools, organizations or research projects. By way of their training, they contribute to teaching French, extending the French-language educational continuum, and shaping new generations of Francophones, from early childhood to postsecondary education. If your students aspire to become catalysts for passion in Francophone minority settings, they should consider a career in education.
4. Tourism, arts and culture
Are your students fascinated by history and culture? Would they like to showcase the local culinary and cultural heritage? They will excel in the fields of tourism, arts and culture! In Canada and on the international scene, Francophone tourism can potentially welcome more than 321 million tourists who will discover our provinces and territories.1 Postsecondary institutions offer a wealth of college and university programs that value cultural heritage, the performing arts, tourist excursions and local activities, gastronomy and savours of community traditions. Students can highlight our cultural history through French and Francophone studies, facilitate and report on local current events thanks to communications or media techniques, or build bridges by learning Spanish or Tłıcho. And why not have people sample the taste of local culture through culinary arts or catering services? Or even engage in organizing tourist attractions in hospitality, tourism management or event management? They will be at the forefront of their community’s cultural life!
5. Trade, finance and administration
Do they have sound business acumen? Do they demonstrate a sense of organization and diligence? Finance and administration will suit them! Postsecondary institutions deliver several programs in business administration, trade and the economy, with various specializations. Students can focus on economic components, such as finance, accounting and financial planning, or opt for administrative modules, such as management, human resources, public administration or marketing. These programs use approaches based on current trends and issues, so students learn how to create positive social impacts, work toward Francophone economic development, and participate in the active offer of French-language administrative services.
Learn more about ACUFC members
Many reasons exist for choosing a career in French, and these programs are just the tip of the iceberg as to Francophone employability. Within postsecondary institutions in Francophone minority settings, students have the opportunity to play a decisive role in enhancing community vitality and ensuring Francophone economic prosperity. And our institutions will train them to seize on all the opportunities to do so.
For more information on postsecondary institutions in Francophone minority communities and on what they have to offer, you are invited to visit the ACUFC website (acufc.ca/formations), where you will find a list of our member institutions as well as their flagship programs.
Maintaining French Momentum Beyond High School
As a member of school personnel, you play an essential role in supporting students throughout their studies. It is crucial to provide them with sound advice at each stage of their evolution. Some decisions may have lasting consequences on their academic journey; therefore, the contribution of professional teams and personnel is of the utmost importance.
During the 2025-2026 academic year, FSL bursaries will be offered in over 30 colleges and universities spanning nine Canadian provinces.
Credit: Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne (ACUFC)
For students who spent several years studying French in school, it is not always easy to choose where and in which language they will pursue their postsecondary studies.
The Bursaries for Postsecondary Studies in French as a Second Language (FSL) Program, funded by the Government of Canada and administered by the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne (ACUFC), can facilitate this difficult decision. The program aims to encourage Canadian students, whose first official language spoken is English, to pursue their postsecondary studies in French. These non-renewable bursaries of $3,000 each are offered by more than thirty institutions across Canada.
According to Statistics Canada, individuals who wish to work in French after their studies are more likely to do so if they graduated from a French-language or bilingual college or university. Students who want to work in French must be made aware of this situation.
As Emma Neufeld, recipient of an FSL bursary, points out: “Choosing to continue my education in French would open up a lot of doors for me career-wise, as it will allow me to serve my community in both official languages. This is something that is very important to me as there is a significant access to justice problem for French communities.”
Mélanie Boudreau also agrees that French proficiency will be an asset in her future career: “I chose to pursue my postsecondary studies in French because of the several benefits it brings to my career in medicine.”
Considering the cost of living and paying for college or university studies, financial assistance provided by an FSL bursary was more than welcomed by Daniel Di Stefano: “The bursary allowed me to worry less about the pressures of paying for and funding my education and allowed me to focus on my schooling.”
Chris Dick concurs: “The bursary significantly reduced the financial burden of tuition, which allowed me to spend more time on my studies rather than working and acted as additional incentive to participate in the bilingual program.”
Members of the teaching staff have invested great efforts to strengthen language proficiency among their students. This progress should not be interrupted after high school. By pursuing their postsecondary studies in French, students enjoy the opportunity to maintain, but also to deepen,
their knowledge.
In a recent survey conducted with FSL recipients, more than 94% of respondents stated that having taken courses in French helped them improve their conversational skills in that language, while 89% enhanced their ability to communicate in written French.
Bethany March confirms: “To anyone tinkering with the idea of pursuing French after high school, just go for it! It is not easy, but it is rewarding. I thought I knew everything about French coming out of high school, but I was quickly humbled in my first year! Over four years, I learned more about the language than I ever could have imagined in grade 12.”
Diego Barrios-Stewart contends that French immersion graduates must be proactive to avoid losing their language skills: “I did not want the French that I had spent the past 13 years learning to just fizzle out like that of so many immersion kids. I had previously lived for a spell in Montréal and Saguenay, Québec and fallen in love with Québécois culture and the French language from that. I study French to keep up for my return to the Francophone world.”
Jilian Hong also acknowledges that pursuing postsecondary studies in French contributes to honing language skills:“I wanted to strengthen my French skills, which is an essential component of my future career in French teaching.”
Since its launch in 2020, the FSL Bursary Program has benefitted some 3,900 individuals from all over Canada who leveraged a bursary to further their bilingualism. To qualify, students must be enrolled in a postsecondary institution participating in the program and meet certain requirements. For more information, visit ACUFC.ca/FSLbursaries.
By: l’Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne
