What’s on My Mind? With Pari Johnston.
This week, I’m at the Workforce Summit 2024 hosted by Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault. The Summit is bringing together more than 200 thought leaders to gather diverse views on how Canada can build a modern, inclusive, and productive labour market for the 21st century.
Attending is an important opportunity to highlight the impact of our network in meeting regional and national workforce demands to respond to Canada’s biggest challenges.
On the agenda:
- Demographic shifts and Canada’s future labour market programs
- Technology, the digital economy and changing nature of work
- Developing skills to meet workforce demands of a net-zero economy
- Improving labour market outcomes of underrepresented and disadvantaged groups
- Upskilling mid-career workers, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, and more.
All Canadians rely on college and institute graduates.
When we think purposefully about the connections between what we teach and what we need in our country and our communities, colleges and institutes become natural partners in meeting Canada’s biggest public policy challenges.
We train the builders, growers, makers, caregivers, first responders, innovators and job creators that Canadians depend on. As a sector, what we do ensures we have a skilled workforce to meet housing and healthcare demand, ensures workers are equipped to thrive in green and digital industries, and makes Canada’s small businesses more innovative, efficient, and productive.
I’m attending this National Summit as your voice in Ottawa.
As your national association, our work is making it clear to leaders, decision makers, employers and to Canadians that colleges and institutes are high-value ecosystem partners. Our unique and differentiated value proposition lies in our ability to upskill and reskill resilient, adaptable and diverse learners – individuals equipped with the 21st-century skills needed to enter the workforce quickly and help grow Canada’s economy.
CICan understands and promotes this impact wholeheartedly. What we’ve heard in the past few weeks, is that – crucially – the federal government still does not.
While Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is implementing top-down policies that will seriously undermine the capacity of the public college system to deliver its mandate, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is convening a national conversation on leveraging that same capacity to address pressing current and future workforce needs. This contradiction highlights a stark policy disconnect and raises the question: are the right voices being included in these national discussions and decisions? If not, we risk failing Canadians and their local communities.
Our message – in plain language – is that through colleges and institutes, students are equipped with the skills they need to find good jobs and help solve Canada’s most pressing challenges. And, through their strong community and industry relations, CICan members are the partners on the ground fostering local sustainability and developing practical solutions to build more homes, effectively integrate newcomers, support local businesses and train the skilled workers – especially in health and childcare – our country desperately needs.
The Summit is an important opportunity to connect some dots and tell this impact story.