Youth

The Leveraging Technology to Develop Modern Mining Skills project, led by NORCAT with support from the Future Skills Centre, explored the potential for augmented reality and virtual reality to address labour and safety challenges in mining and construction. By incorporating simulations into core training programs, the project aimed to provide safer, more accessible practice environments for new workers while testing whether immersive tools could improve learning outcomes.

Employers in New Brunswick have reported a pressing need for enhanced soft skills among workers. Recognizing this, the Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick / Community College of New Brunswick (CCNB) launched a project designed to enhance the soft skills of its students.

The Tourism & Hospitality Emergency Recovery (THER) initiative, funded by the Future Skills Centre and led by the Ontario Tourism Education Corporation (OTEC), aimed to support Canada’s tourism and hospitality sector during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

This project aimed to develop and test a new skills training model that bridged the academic and not-for-profit sectors. The experiential learning course called “Innovation for Social Impact” was developed and launched to achieve this goal.

Many youth, especially those from equity-deserving groups, are not aware of what career options they have and do not know what skills they need to achieve them. To address these gaps, the Diversity Institute designed and tested the Future Skills & Careers platform with the Peel District School Board (PDSB).

Employers in the Greater Moncton region report challenges in finding and cultivating skilled workers, a situation that may worsen in the face of anticipated retirements and slowing population growth. Young people may fill this employment gap if they are aware of the career opportunities available in the region.To address this issue, the 3+ Economic Development Corporation (now named the Southeast Regional Service Commission) initiated a project using virtual workplace tours to introduce high school students to potential careers in high-priority sectors.

There is growing demand for workers with advanced digital skills. To address this demand, Georgian College aimed to modernize itself. Guided by a Digital Transformation Strategy, this project involved integrating campus-wide extended reality (XR) technologies to enhance teaching and learning, remote collaboration and tools for daily work.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its series of lockdowns disproportionately impacted the service industry and many young women who work in this sector. This project provided online workshops and coaching to help young women in the service industry develop transferable social-emotional skills in leadership and confidence, communications, business literacy, job interviewing and networking to support their capacity to undertake career changes.