About us
The Future Skills Centre is dedicated to helping Canadians gain the skills they need to thrive in a changing labour market.
We recognize that Canada’s economy is evolving rapidly as a result of technological, demographic, environmental and geopolitical change. That change inevitably alters the nature of work—creating new opportunities and also engendering new threats.
FSC was conceived to address those opportunities and challenges by fostering a more responsive skills development ecosystem. Our approach is outlined in our Strategic Plan, which articulates our vision for a more agile and adaptable workforce in Canada.
We are constantly looking ahead, gaining and sharing insights to understand how global trends impact the labour market of today and the future. Together with our partners, we inform and support local approaches to skills development and employment training.
As a pan-Canadian initiative, we connect ideas and innovations from across Canada to generate a robust evidence-base for decision makers so that workers and employers can succeed in the labour market and ensure that local, regional, and national economies thrive.
We aim to help all workers in Canada benefit from effective skills development and training. We seek to ensure an inclusive approach to supporting underserved groups such as women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, newcomers, racialized peoples, LGBTQ2S+ peoples, persons with disabilities, veterans, and Canadians living in rural, remote, and Northern communities.
Mission
We focus on strengthening Canada’s skills development ecosystem so that Canadians can look to a future of meaningful and relevant lifelong learning opportunities.
Vision
Canada is a resilient learning nation, backed by an agile and responsive skills ecosystem, that equips everyone with the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing economy and share in Canada’s prosperity.
Strategic Plan
Our Strategic Plan outlines our approach to strengthening the skills development ecosystem in Canada.
Community of Practice
Our Community of Practice is a virtual space that brings together practitioners in the skills-training ecosystem. Researchers, employment and training service providers and anyone interested in skills development are welcome to join!
How we work
In our work, we follow five principles: agility, collaboration, inclusion, excellence, and impact.
- We are agile.
We are curious about the changes happening around us and strive to test, adapt, evaluate and learn from what works, and what doesn’t, when it comes to skills development innovations.
- We are collaborative.
We seek to add value and complement the innovation ambitions of our partners and stakeholders in the skills development ecosystem.
- We are inclusive.
We believe Canada is stronger when everyone has the opportunity to contribute to, and benefit from, our shared prosperity, so we focus on addressing systemic barriers affecting underserved populations.
- We pursue excellence.
We set a high bar for our work from research to partnership development, and add value through our investments in prototypes, the rigour of our approach to evaluation and evidence, and our ability to share what we learn.
- We focus on impact.
We are future-oriented and seek to create knowledge beyond “what we already know” through our mandate to test and evaluate new and innovative approaches to skills development.
Our commitment to excellence and accountability
We adhere to the highest standards of financial accountability and transparency, earning the trust of everyone in Canada to steward public funds to catalyze skills innovation and training and enable everyone to thrive in an evolving economy.
Efficient operating costs -- Our operating budget is holding at 9%, with the vast majority of resources directed to innovations in skills development.
Significant investments in skills innovations -- $209M invested since 2020 in partners whose innovations and research are strengthening Canada’s skills ecosystem, including education and skills organizations, sector and industry groups and training institutes.
Strong financial reporting -- Annual audits by KPMG confirm the accuracy of our financial statements and the effectiveness of our controls and systems in ensuring we are meeting our contractual obligations.
Developmental Evaluation -- From February 2020 through September of 2021, Project Evident partnered with FSC to provide capacity extension and strategic evidence planning support throughout 2020, and ultimately served as a developmental evaluator through September of 2021. Following the evaluation, Project Evident determined that FSC is "well-poised to achieve the goals of their current mandate and continue delivering value to Canada long into the future."
For more information, you can read Project Evident's full report.
Consortium partners
Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly known as Ryerson University, is Canada’s leader in innovative, career-oriented education.
Blueprint is a non-profit, mission-driven research organization dedicated to improving the social and economic well-being of individuals, families and communities.
The Conference Board of Canada is the country’s leading independent, not-for-profit, applied research organization.
Partners
The Diversity Institute is a think and do tank, housed at the Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson University), focused on advancing inclusive innovation and economic growth.
Magnet is a digital social innovation platform based at Toronto Metropolitan University whose mission is to accelerate inclusive economic growth for all in Canada by advancing careers, businesses and communities.
