Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)

The Northern Tourism Recovery Incubator developed by ITAC was created to support SMEs in Northern communities to strengthen their business, rebuild Indigenous tourism operators and re-train staff members to support visitors and public health expectations as the tourism industry recovers.

The needs of these businesses were assessed through a national accreditation program (Project Rise) which provided individual business assessments and aggregated data for ongoing support. By working with the Indigenous provincial and territorial partners, ITAC supported the effective delivery of regionally specific support to revitalize operators ahead of the 2023 operating season. Regional needs were considered as businesses reported through the accreditation program, recognizing that the gaps in one part of the country may not be the same as another. This coordinated effort aimed to increase tourism revenues and jobs by increasing Indigenous tourism products to meet visitor demands.

Aerial view of the airport. Airplane taxiing to runway.

Featured Projects

Research

The Future of Work: Addressing Skill Imbalances in Canada

We’ve lost our balance. Skills shortages were especially acute during the post-pandemic recovery. A Statistics Canada survey from 2022 revealed that over half of employers were grappling with skills gaps and more than two-thirds were struggling to find candidates with the necessary skills.
Research

Competency Frameworks and Canada’s Essential Skills

Whether it’s new technology or global events driving the pace of change, Canadians are being asked to adapt in the workplace. Canada needs an essential skills framework that includes and looks beyond simple literacy and numeracy. It needs to include the ‘soft skills’ that industry leaders say are key to success and other essential skills that will help Canadians adapt, no matter what comes their way. Each needs to be measured and tracked to ensure Canadians remain globally competitive, and this paper argues that renewing Canada’s Essentials Skills framework is the place to start.
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Research

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

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.
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