Kitchener, Waterloo, Dec. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Last week, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced the release of the Future Skills Council’s report: Canada – A Learning Nation: A Skilled, Agile Workforce Ready to Shape the Future. D2L’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jeremy Auger, joined the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Council to participate in a process designed to shape the future of Canada’s workforce, a challenge that took on new meaning and urgency this past year.
The report underlines the importance of a growing, thriving, and dynamic workforce in Canada where
everyone has a chance to succeed and a country that supports ongoing learning. The report proposes concrete actions that will require all levels of government, private sector, labour, non-profit and Indigenous partners, and educational and training institutions to work together.
“This report couldn’t come at a better time,” said Auger. “All across Canada, there is an urgent need to think about how we recover from COVID-19 and build a more resilient workforce capable of withstanding future shocks and better positioned to take control of their own futures. This report lays out five priority areas of focus as we strive to build a Learning Nation.”
The five priorities are:
1. Helping Canadians make informed choices
2. Equality of opportunity for lifelong learning
3. Skills development to support Indigenous self-determination
4. New and innovative approaches to skills development and validation
5. Skills development for sustainable futures
Together, the recommendations are a call to action for all sectors to do their part toward ensuring that Canadian jobseekers, employees, and employers can seize emerging opportunities in a rapidly evolving world of work.
“The Future Skills Council’s report highlights the importance of collaboration and innovation across all
sectors to build a skilled, agile workforce that is ready and able to shape the future,” said Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough. “It is a call to action for all Canadians to continue learning, acquire new skills and create opportunities across the country. Together, we can and will pave a way forward to ensure that our workforce is at the forefront of innovative thinking and action, now and for years to come.”
Quick Facts
·The Future Skills Council includes a diverse group of representatives from business, labour,
education and training, public, Indigenous and non-profit organizations. They were tasked with
making recommendations to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion on national and regional priorities related to skills development and training for Canadians.
·This report is the result of broad engagement activities across Canada and with
international and domestic subject-matter experts.
·The 2020 Survey on Employment and Skills, released on May 20, 2020, indicates that close to
half of Canadian workers expressed worry about themselves or a member of their immediate
family finding or keeping a stable, full-time job after the COVID-19 pandemic set in. In the same
report, workers said that skills training contributes to their ability to succeed. However, 50% of the Canadian labour force say that they have had no employer-delivered skills training in the last five years.
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