Never Stop Learning
Barrie is an entrepreneurial city – curiosity is common. We love to learn, connect and build new skills. If you’re looking for self-improvement, there are opportunities for higher education, apprenticeships and continuing education.
Barrie has everything you need to build your life including excellent educational options. The Barrie area has more than 20 private schools, 39 elementary schools and 10 high schools, including French immersion, Montessori and separate schools.
Learning On the Job
Apprenticeships and continuing education are great options for those who want to advance their career while working. Continuing education opportunities are available online, or through a blend of online and in-person learning. High school students can explore over 140 careers through the Ontario Youth Apprentice Program, and Georgian College offers a variety of apprenticeship programs at their Barrie campus.
Post-Secondary Education
Georgian College
Barrie is home to the largest of Georgian’s campuses with 10,200 full-time students.
The Alectra Centre for Research, Innovation and Commercialization is equipped with the latest technology and partners with local industry to provide next-gen skills to students and advanced research & development.
Georgian is the first and only Changemaker College for embedding social innovation and changemaking into the culture, programming and operations (designated by Ashoka U).
The department of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship is the hub for research, development and innovation at Georgian and includes:
- Research and Innovation
- Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation
- Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre
Georgian is a recognized leader in student work experience, with 6,300 employer partners. Students gain workplace experience with the added benefit of building a foundation with local employers who are eager to hire.
88.1% Georgian graduates find employment within six months of graduation.
Lakehead University
Lakehead University is the top ranked university in North America under 9,000 students in the Times Higher Education 2023 Impact Rankings.
The university is one of Canada's top undergraduate research universities with 116 industry and not-for-profit partners around the world.
Lakehead's Orillia campus is 35 kilometres from Barrie and offers more than 18 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and is actively expanding College-University program pathways with Georgian College.
97.7% of Lakehead graduates find employment within two years of graduation with 91% having jobs relating to their field of study.
