Innovation Projects
Project
Workforce 2030: Rapid Upskilling for Green-Building Occupations
By 2030, the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) estimates that with the appropriate framework and investments in place, the Canadian green-building industry could support approximately 1.5 million direct jobs. In Ontario alone, over 100,000 new construction workers are needed in the next 10 years to keep pace with future demand and retirements.
Project
Building Local Capacity for Community-based Micrometeorological Monitoring
Northwestern Canada is experiencing double the rate of climate warming compared to the global average, impacting water resources and regional climate. To track these changes, a network of ten eddy covariance (EC) towers—which allow for the tracking of greenhouse gases—were installed across the Northwest Territories. However, the lack of local expertise jeopardizes their upkeep and subsequently the data they track.
Project
Fisheries for Economic and Environmental Development in the North (FEED the North)
The FEED the North project, spearheaded by the Ocean Wise Conservation Association, targeted economic and environmental challenges in Nunavut, which were intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic and by climate change. This initiative aimed to merge traditional Inuit knowledge with Western science, enhancing sustainability in local fisheries and bridging Indigenous and Western environmental conservation methods.
Project
Micro-credentialing for the Canadian Aviation and Aerospace Industry
The Canadian aviation and aerospace industry currently faces challenges recruiting, training and retaining a qualified workforce. To address this issue, the Canadian Council for Aviation and Aerospace (CCAA) developed and tested a digital learning resource and a stackable micro-credential framework.
Project
Beyond hours: Piloting an alternative to tracking and understanding apprentice competency in Canada
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methods to document and formally recognize the skills that apprentices acquire through workplace learning are outdated.
State of Skills
What Works for Newcomer Integration
Despite the overall success of Canada’s immigration system, a number of challenges persist. When compared to other nations, labour market mobility for newcomers in Canada is not as strong as other dimensions of migrant integration.
Project
Re-skilling Displaced Retail Workers
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.
Project
Luminary: Advancing Indigenous innovation for economic transformation, employment and well-being
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.
Project
Assessing and Developing Workplace Employability Skills with ESAT
This multi-phase research project examined how the Employability Skills Assessment Tool (ESAT), digital tool developed by Futureworx to assess and strengthen adults’ social and emotional skills (SES), is implemented, how it supports participant and staff outcomes, and what evidence is required to evaluate its causal impact.








