• Français
Future Skills Center logo
Français
Partners
Northern Lights College

200 participants including from Indigenous and Aboriginal communities

$754,315 in funding over 2 years

Locations
British Columbia
Topics
Future Skills
Inclusive Economy
Pathways to Jobs
SME Adaptability
Related Tags
digital platform indigenous indigenous populations mid-career mid-career workers Social and emotional skills development soft skills development
Home| Innovation Projects|Project

CLIMB: Continuous Learning for Individuals’ Mid-career and Beyond

Mid-career workers in northern and remote areas of British Columbia are some of the most vulnerable to labour market disruption and also face considerable barriers to retraining and finding new employment.

Northern Lights College developed the CLIMB project to provide mid-career workers in the North and South Peace River Service Region, including Indigenous communities, with structured supports offering information, resources and training to reduce their fears of the unknown and help them make informed mid-career choices and changes. 

Over two years, CLIMB offered more than 200 people a range of supports and personalized skills assessment modules via a dedicated online portal. The training modules tested how digital programs of this nature can help workers overcome barriers to taking more formal training to put them on a path towards upskilling for a new role or career.

The digital tools and training modules helped improve the mindsets of mid-careers workers about the benefits and feasibility of reskilling for new jobs, however, the CLIMB and CLIMB Restart project demonstrated that online tools are not a panacea on their own and should be used to complement to in-person assistance.

Norther College lights campus from outside.

Embarking on a new career is complex and individuals benefited significantly from in-person career and training guidance that helped them better understand their career options and how to choose training that aligned with those goals.

With its target clients, the project also found financial barriers were key in mid-career workers’ decision to take up more formal training. A small increase in the training credit from $100 to $250 offered to workers led to an increase in training uptake and therefore the likelihood they will find something that aligns with their career ambitions.

    Download the evaluation report

    Featured Projects

    Woman doctor consulting with male patient at hospital
    State of Skills

    Skills and Training Innovation in Healthcare and Bio-Health

    • July 2026

    The purpose of the healthcare sector is, ultimately, to improve the health of the population, which also includes its workforce. The impact of projected shortages of skilled health workers means Canadians will be challenged to get the timely healthcare that they need, as the burden of age-related, complex illnesses continues to grow.
    1
    Related Reports
    Medical team in discussion, brainstorming and planning.
    Project

    Health English Language Pro: Leveraging A Physician-Driven Response to Medical Communication Skills Development for Newcomer Physicians

    • July 2026

    • ACCES Employment
    The HELP program (Health English Language Pro) was developed to address some of these barriers through a peer-to-peer partnership model between volunteer and newcomer physicians. The program focused on improving English medical communication, understanding of the Canadian healthcare system, professional confidence, and social capital.
    2
    Related Reports
    Diverse team members collaborate in a modern office, including a woman using a wheelchair, as they discuss documents and ideas together.
    Project

    Municipal Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation Sharing Platform

    • June 2026

    • City of Kingston, Diversity Institute
    Led by the City of Kingston, in collaboration with the Diversity Institute and with support from the Future Skills Centre, the Municipal Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation Sharing Platform was established to provide municipalities with a centralized space to strengthen local capacity to advance EDIR initiatives.
    2
    Related Reports


    View all Projects