White Paper

The Automation Readiness Index compares countries on their preparedness for the age of intelligent automation. In assessing the existence of policy and strategy in the areas of innovation, education and the labour market, the study finds that little policy is in place today that specifically addresses the challenges of AI- and robotics-based automation. No country has yet to “take the bull by horns”, in the view of several experts interviewed for the study. A small handful, however, including South Korea, Germany and Singapore— the overall index leaders—have undertaken individual initiatives in areas such as curriculum reform, lifelong learning, occupational training and workplace flexibility

This report takes an early look at this generation’s adult lives so far, including how they are faring in the labor market and how they are organizing their personal lives. This generation is marked by transformations at nearly every important milestone: from changes in parenting practices and schooling choices, to the condition of the U.S. economy they entered, to their own choices about home and family. However, in many cases, Millennials are simply following the patterns of change that began generations ago. Millennials are also the generation that will shape our economy for decades to come, and no one understands that more that the President. It’s why he has put in place policies to address the various challenges their generation faces. This includes policies such as: making student loan payments more affordable; promoting digital literacy and innovation; pushing for equal pay and paycheck fairness; supporting investments and policies that create better-paying jobs; connecting more Americans to job training and skills programs that prepare them for in-demand jobs; supporting access to credit for those who want to buy a home; and increasing access to affordable health care. And it’s why the President will continue to act with Congress and on his own where he can to build on this progress to expand opportunity for Millennials and all Americans

Outlines the skills you need to enter, stay in, and progress in the world of work—whether you work on your own or as a part of a team. These skills can also be applied and used beyond the workplace in a range of daily activities.

The Conference Board of Canada has spent the past five years examining the advanced skills and education challenges facing Canada today through a multi-stakeholder research initiative called the Centre for Skills and Post-Secondary Education. In collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders, we studied important themes and issues in education, skills development, and future skills needs, with special emphasis on postsecondary education and advanced skills. This initiative looked at education and skills through a national lens, while recognizing that education and skills development are typically the mandates of provincial and territorial governments. Where possible, we convened stakeholders across government, industry, and education sectors to take a truly pan-Canadian view of the issues. Through our research and convening, we identified six cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder platforms and some over-arching aspirations for each. This document distills the challenges and disruptors, best practices, and recommendations from our 40+ research reports, briefings, and events. It also identifies a number of intersecting goals.

The Employability Skills Toolkit for the Self-Managing Learner is a suite of practical tools designed to help learners use and develop the skills needed to enter, stay in, and progress in the world of work. The Toolkit offers practical support for managing lifelong learning for personal growth and workplace success and provides Canadians with much-needed information about what employability skills look like and examples of ways they can develop and demonstrate their skills at home, school, work and in the community.

The General Innovation Skills Aptitude Test (GISAT2.0) raises awareness and understanding around the skills, attitudes, and behaviours individuals and organizations need to be innovative—as listed in The Conference Board of Canada's Innovation Skills Profile 2.0 (ISP2.0). By identifying, and then assessing, the innovation skills found in individuals and required by organizations GISAT2.0 is a powerful tool that assists workplaces and individuals to better match their innovation skills capacities with their innovation needs.

The launch of this report is timely, as the government takes a step in the right direction in its efforts to launch a new innovation agenda. The fact that the government recognizes that innovation goes further than just technology by having six focus areas is particularly positive. Properly anchoring the innovation agenda to business sector priorities will require an ongoing and open dialogue with employers on what their needs are, and how to prepare the next generation of students to take on these challenges.

This report identifies policy areas affecting skills gaps, both in Canada and globally, and provides a review of recent contributions to the policy debate. We find these policy areas reflect what is lacking in the Canadian education system and labour market: 1. Labour market information (LMI): This section examines Canada’s collection, interpretation and dissemination of data reflecting labour market conditions and projections. 2. Career decision-making: This section describes the factors and influences, both formal and informal, that shape Canadian students’ career interests and goals. 3. Work-integrated learning (WIL): This section addresses the various forms of education and training that occur in the workplace, such as co-op and internship programs, and the extent to which they are used or underused in Canada. 4. National leadership and coordination: This section examines the possible ways in which Canada could improve youth’s school to-work transition to mitigate the skills gap, now and in the future.

The British Academy’s Skills project has sought to articulate and celebrate the skills gained through studying arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS), and to lead a high-level debate about the value of these skills to the individual, to society and to the economy. The report looks at how these skills are taught, learnt and applied in society, drawing on existing evidence and generating new evidence through commissioned research. It includes recommendations of areas for further action which will set the agenda for the Academy’s programme of work on skills to 2020, but also create a context for developing new partnerships with policy makers, organisations and businesses across the sector.