Personal support workers (PSWs) often lack appropriate professional development opportunities despite playing a crucial role in Ontario’s health-care system, especially in the face of new challenges like the pandemic. To address this gap, the University Health Network (UHN) team collaborated with new and existing partners to develop and launch education and advocacy resources to increase PSW competence, confidence and resilience in providing safe and effective care. 

The information technology (IT) sector in Manitoba, particularly in Northern communities, faces significant challenges due to a shortage of qualified individuals to fill numerous job openings. Postsecondary IT programs, which are primarily located in southern Manitoba, often do not accommodate the unique needs of Northern students, who face barriers such as relocation, high costs and a shortage of skills deemed prerequisite by the postsecondary programs.

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 project “Resilience of newcomer women in northwestern Ontario: Overcoming economic shock due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” led by Lakehead University, explored the employment challenges and recovery prospects of newcomer women in northwestern Ontario post-COVID-19. Conducted in both rural and urban areas, the study involved 66 interviews and surveys with over 5,000 residents of northwestern Ontario. The study was designed to assess how the pandemic affected these women’s job opportunities.  

Indigenous Works, a national Indigenous not-for-profit organization, developed the Luminary Research and Innovation Project to enhance innovation in Indigenous business environments, with the knowledge that more Indigenous-led research is needed to catalyze innovation and community well-being.

This project centred on several key research questions aimed at addressing the urgent needs of the Canadian labour market, particularly changes to job prospects and the accelerating trend of technology adoption.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are key drivers of the innovation needed to boost Canada's global competitiveness and deliver meaningful, future-proof jobs. The innovation economy represents a significant opportunity for increased prosperity for Canada and those who live here. Despite some progress, however, diverse people are underrepresented in Canada's innovation workforce and receive less funding and opportunities for research and development.

Indigenous entrepreneurship helps to build resilience in the face of labour market instability, and to create opportunities for culturally relevant and economically self-reliant livelihoods in the North, with lasting impact that is owned by communities themselves.

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.