• Français
Future Skills Center logo
Français
Polygon Created with Sketch. Home | Research
Research

What Are Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions Saying and Doing? Social and Emotional Skills

Canadian post-secondary institutions are not prioritizing social and emotional skills acquisition for students, despite their growing importance to employers. More emphasis must be placed on ensuring students develop these skills.

Key Takeaways

1

Despite strong employer demand for social and emotional skills (SES) like creativity and problem-solving, post-secondary institutions (PSIs) as a whole aren’t prioritizing them.

2

Only one in five post-secondary strategic plans mention holistic SES development.

3

To prepare students for career success, PSIs must give more weight to social and emotional skills development. To do this, they need to translate SES priorities into applied training and assessment.

Executive Summary

Employers in Canada are increasingly seeking new hires with well-developed social and emotional skills (SES) and are moving away from hiring and rewarding workers based on their technical skills.

However, Canadian post-secondary institutions (PSIs) have not caught up with this shift. A review and analysis of PSIs’ strategic plans reveals a lack of emphasis on student acquisition of SES, with such instruction largely relegated to elective and extra-curricular activities. This issue is common to both universities and colleges.

PSIs must do more to equip graduates with the social and emotional skills they will need to succeed and thrive in the workplaces of today and tomorrow, and this focus must begin at the strategic level.

Related Content

A diverse team collaborating in a bright modern office, with a woman in a pink blazer reviewing a clipboard with a seated colleague.
Research

From Jobs to Journeys: Rethinking How Canada Forecasts Skills Supplyexternal link icon

  • May 2026
  • Signal49 Research (formerly The Conference Board of Canada)
Canadian organizations are navigating rapid labour and technology transitions— automation, demographic aging, digitalization, and shifting educational pathways. Yet our core tools for forecasting skills supply are outdated.
Two colleagues reviewing content on a tablet outdoors, with a green living wall world map in the background.
Research

From Newcomers to Game Changers: A Scorecard for Immigrant Skill Utilizationexternal link icon

  • May 2026
  • Signal49 Research (formerly The Conference Board of Canada)
Canada has long prioritized selecting highly skilled and educated immigrants for permanent residency. Yet once they arrive, many find themselves unemployed or working below their qualification level.
A person seen from behind, wearing a brown jacket and carrying a denim backpack, walking along a sunny tree-lined path.
Research

Level Up: Shaping the Future of Learning and Development in Canadaexternal link icon

  • May 2026
  • Signal49 Research (formerly The Conference Board of Canada)
Automation, digital tools, and new work models continue to reshape jobs across every sector, and employees need access to high quality learning opportunities to keep pace.