Work-integrated Learning

Youth mental health is closely tied to young Canadians’ economic participation. Not only do mental health challenges act as a barrier to entering the labour market and pursuing educational credentials, but youth who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) are at greater risk for declines in mental health.

The persistence of labour and skill shortages within the trades is exacerbated by challenges with on-the-job training and skills recognition. The prevailing methods to document and formally recognize the skills that apprentices acquire through workplace learning are outdated.

This project, initiated by Saskatchewan Polytechnic, aimed to address the challenges in online education exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The project focused on enhancing the online learning experience in applied fields such as information technology, agriculture, health care, manufacturing and warehousing. The success of these sectors are critical to the success of the Canadian economy and are traditionally dependent on hands-on training. The initiative targeted equity-deserving groups, including women, Indigenous people, newcomers, and individuals with disabilities.

The retail sector in Canada is increasingly embracing automation. While technological adoption bodes well for the sector, it puts at risk a number of young people, including racialized and Indigenous youth, who work in retail. The pandemic accelerated this impact, putting many out of work as the labour demand decreased during the lockdowns. The Re-skilling Displaced Retail Workers project sought to support the design of a re-skilling program for displaced Ontario retail workers, with a focus on racialized or Indigenous youth. The project had four phases: concept generation, research, design and prototyping.

To successfully transition to a net-zero economy, Canada will require workers with the skills and knowledge needed to fill green jobs, but sectors connected to the green economy face skills gaps and talent shortages around the globe.

In recent years, young people have faced difficulties in the labour market. Pandemic lockdowns impacted school and work for most young people, alongside accelerated technological change and the increasing prevalence of gig work (characterized by short-term, on-demand, and task-based labour) have all had negative impacts on quality of work for young people. 

At a time of rapid change in the workplace, access to skills training is key to workers’ success. Workers cannot expect that the knowledge and...

Have questions about this report? Contact us communications@fsc-ccf.ca. How to Cite This ReportMcDonough, L. (2023) Project Insights Report: Employer-sponsored skills training: A picture of skills...

Have questions about our work? Do you need access to a report in English or French? Please contact communications@fsc-ccf.ca. How to Cite This ReportMcDonough, L....