Remote work strategies for small businesses

This 5-week virtual course targets owners and operators of small- to medium-enterprises (those with fewer than 500 employees) who are most affected by COVID-19. Participants are primarily women and persons with disabilities.

Future Skills Centre is investing $68,876 in this 1-year project. Through 1 to 2 hours of weekly instruction, homework, and group discussions, students will learn the innovation skills to develop a long-term remote work strategy. In doing so, businesses will identify and realize sustainability goals, cost efficiencies and greater productivity and employee well-being.

Woman in wheelchair working from home looking at dual computer screens.

As a non-profit organization, pointA has spent nearly two decades working with businesses to develop sustainable, long-term programs that tackle the daily commute to and from work. These programs are customized to each organization’s needs and range from carpooling programs to personalized travel plans for each employee. The team applies behavioural economics to provide the knowledge, resources, and encouragement to try sustainable modes of transportation to decrease congestion in the Toronto Region, thereby improving the environment and health of communities.

Evaluation Strategy

This project is evaluated using tools and approaches aligned with its goals, context, and stage of development. The evaluation focuses on generating the right evidence at the right moment to move the intervention forward. Read more about our evaluation strategy.

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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.
Research

Skills and productivity: Which skills shortages are impacting Canadian productivity?

Canada has a productivity problem. Labour productivity growth—the amount of output produced per hour worked—has stalled. The Canadian economy’s labour productivity at the end of 2023 was around the same as it was in 2017. This is the second time that Canada’s productivity growth has been notably weaker than the United States’ in recent decades, with the first occurring between 2003 and 2012.
Two people in masks are standing outside a building, looking at a tablet.
State of Skills

Leveraging the Skills of Newcomers

Key Insights The quality and intensity of employer engagement is critical to the overall success of interventions to support newcomers. Employer engagement needs to go…
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