Research
Future Skills
Our research will help Canadians — including current and future job-seekers, employers, policy makers, service providers, educators, and researchers — better understand future skills priorities, knowledge gaps, and leading practices, and will help build capacity to address these demands.
Research Resources
Reference Database
A searchable repository on published research addressing “future skills” that will be a useful tool for researchers and individuals interested in the future of work and the future of skills.
Annotated Bibliography
Intended as a useful tool to researchers in need of initial guidance in future skills, this is a list of 39 key academic and “grey literature” publications.
Featured Research
Skills Next Series
Canadians’ needs for skills training and education are changing quickly. Through Skills Next, the Public Policy Forum, the Diversity Institute, and the Future Skills Centre […]
Social and Emotional Skills
In this multi-year project, our team of researchers is exploring the trends, challenges, and opportunities related to social and emotional skills (SES) development and the future of work.
Bridging Education and Skills Gaps through Indigenous-Controlled Post-Secondary Education
This research project will investigate the role Indigenous-controlled post-secondary institutes play in helping First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students achieve academic success and find meaningful employment.
Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Alternative Pathways
Digital skills and digital careers are part of every industry’s future. Yet employers say they can’t find workers with the information and communication technology (ICT) […]
Thinking Twice About Technology and the Future of Work
Technology is being used to change power balances in workplaces and to perpetuate long-standing precarious employment relationships, Jim Stanford argues. But the exploitative practices of the gig economy reflect deliberate choices, rather than the inevitable onward march of technology, and creating better jobs also lies within our power.
Solving the Skills Puzzle: The Missing Piece is Good Information
In a world of work increasingly driven by the supply and demand of skills rather than the qualifications of graduates, employers have trouble finding the workers they need and workers struggle to keep up with changing demands. Emna Braham and Steven Tobin explain how better and more accessible labour market information lies at the heart of clarifying the skills and training needs of today and tomorrow.
Understanding the Future of Skills: Trends and Global Policy Responses
Studies on the future of work tend to focus on the jobs at risk of automation, with projections varying widely from 6% to 59%. Sunil Johal and Michael Urban take a different approach in reviewing eight expert reports and the actions taken by nine countries to prepare for the challenges ahead. They distill key lessons for Canada to ensure workers are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in tomorrow’s economy, whatever shape it takes.
Applied and Experiential Skills
In this multi-year project, our team of researchers will study and support ongoing work-integrated learning initiatives in Canada focusing on the drive to create more experiential learning opportunities, especially among vulnerable populations, while also zeroing in on apprenticeship training.
Skills Next Series
Canadians’ needs for skills training and education are changing quickly. Through Skills Next, the Public Policy Forum, the Diversity Institute, and the Future Skills Centre […]
Indigenizing Corporate Canada
This research project will help inform the development of more appropriate career resources and supports to increase Indigenous representation in Canada’s finance and management professions.
STEM for Indigenous Learners
This research project will explore what works for effectively designing, teaching, and supporting cross-cultural Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curricula for Indigenous learners in secondary and post-secondary fields of study.