Sixteen MIRHR students and I had a successful trip to multilateral institutions in Europe, a pivotal component of the Centre's IRE1600: International Developments in Labour and Human Resource Policy. Offered since 2013, this course is part of a portfolio of courses with international content.
Students first took on-campus classes to ready themselves for engagements with labour policy professionals at international institutions such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the European Commission. Students also had the opportunity to learn from Adjunct Professors Jeffrey Sack (Lancaster House), Brian Burkett (Fasken), alumnus Chris Davidson (Lancaster House), and guest speakers Zsuzsanna Lonti, alumna and ex-OECD, and Rakesh Patry, Director-General, International Affairs, Labour Canada.
This year, we visited the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the first day, followed by two days each at the ILO and the OECD. During our visit to Geneva and Paris, students heard from more than 15 labour policy professionals at these institutions. The field trip to Europe was suspended for three years at the height of the pandemic, so this year marks a happy return of the field component of one of our most popular and illuminating courses.