As questions about the future of work loom, Canada stands at a crossroads. Automation and technological advances pose unprecedented opportunities and challenges to workers across Canada’s economy. Both men and women will need to navigate a wide-scale workforce transition, moving from lower-wage and lower-skilled to higher-wage and higher-skilled jobs. For women, who already face inequalities in the workplace, this transition will be pivotal. Building on the McKinsey Global Institute’s 2017 research, The present and future of women at work in Canada looks at how well women and men in Canada are positioned for future jobs and examines existing gender inequalities in the workplace more closely. It also proposes a practical road map for organizations to follow in progressing toward achieving gender equality in the workplace today and in the future.

The “future” of work and learning is not looming in the distance, but a reality of the here and now. Lifelong learning is increasingly seen as the solution to the challenges presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including the rapid shifts in skills needed of the workforce and rise of automation. In practical terms however, lifelong learning as a concept is not well understood, nor is it obvious what an effective system of lifelong learning would actually look like at a national or international scale. This whitepaper shows it requires a multi-sided answer – from creating the learning opportunities to solving for access, cost, responsibility, and individual motivation. It requires a Learning-Integrated Life.

This report builds on the fact that Budget 2019 was the first to be formally developed under Gender-based Analysis Plus - examining how each budget measure would affect a diversity of Canadians, including young people. Through Budget 2019, the Government proposes to support young Canadians by: Supporting more on-the-job learning opportunities for young Canadians who want relevant, real-world work experience, by creating up to 84,000 new student work placements per year by 2023-24, as well as by building partnerships with businesses to support work placements through the modernized Youth Employment Strategy. Making post-secondary education more affordable by lowering the interest rates on Canada Student Loans and Canada Apprentice Loans, and making the six-month grace period after graduation interest-free. Creating opportunities for young Canadians to travel, work or study abroad and gain skills needed to succeed in a global economy. Supporting Indigenous post-secondary education with measures designed to help First Nations, Inuit and Métis students obtain the skills and experiences they need to succeed. Improving access to mentorship, learning resources and start-up financing to help young Canadians bring their business ideas to life and to market through Futurpreneur Canada. Creating meaningful service opportunities through the Canada Service Corps for young Canadians to learn new skills, gain leadership experience and contribute to their communities. Making homeownership more affordable for first-time buyers by introducing the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, a shared equity mortgage program that would reduce the monthly payments required to own a home. With Budget 2019, the Government is investing in ways to prepare young Canadians for their future, helping them succeed for years to come.

The focus of this report is on current university efforts and recommended future improvements to prepare PhD and master’s students for a fuller range of careers comprising the advanced STEM workforce. The report includes findings from a two-year CGS project (2014-2016), funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF #1413827), to map the landscape of professional development programming at US universities for graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and to identify opportunities to enhance professional development of STEM graduate students, nationally. This project identified promising practices, common challenges, recommendations, and possible next steps toward coordinated improvements to the professional development of STEM graduate students, including PhDs, master’s, and postdoctorates. To advance this goal, we probed answers to a number of questions, such as: How prevalent are formal graduate student professional development programs? Who needs to be involved in developing and delivering these programs? What skills do these programs address, and what skills are missing or underemphasized? Are graduate students participating in these programs? Do faculty support student participation in these programs? What are the biggest challenges facing student engagement in and faculty support for these programs? How do we know this programming is effective? And, what steps do recent graduates, employers, and university leaders think should be taken to improve professional development for graduate students? We sought answers to these questions through three means: 1) a survey of graduate deans, STEM faculty, and staff responsible for professional development programming; 2) in-depth interviews with 10 chief research officers or other senior leaders at organizations from different sectors of the advanced STEM workforce responsible for supervising and hiring STEM PhDs and master’s recipients; and 3) a workshop convened in fall 2015 of national experts, employers from multiple sectors of the advanced STEM workforce, federal funders, graduate deans, and recent PhDs to advance the conversation about challenges and promising solutions and models. While the focus of this project was on formal university professional development programs for graduate students, examples of other types of professional development programs and experiences were frequently cited, ranging from large-scale federal fellowship and internship programs to particular university-industry partnerships. These, as well as the recommendations for stakeholders beyond universities, will be noted throughout the report. While postdoctoral training was not an explicit focus of this project, many of the programs described here serve postdoctoral fellows as well as PhD candidates and master’s students.The report includes discussion of useful tools and resources, as well as of issues that commonly arise in university discussion around professional development. Examples of such issues include: whether this training should be integral or supplemental to the education received in one’s discipline or degree program; how to prepare a diverse group of students for the wide range of STEM- and STEM-related careers and whether this should even be a part of the mission of graduate degree programs in research fields; and whether the emphasis of professional development efforts should be on generic skills, STEM-specific skills, or professional formation, more broadly. As part of this project, CGS identified a large number and wide variety of US university professional development programs for graduate students. An online compendium of these programs is included both as an appendix to the electronic version of this report and in an interactive online format to inform program improvements. The compendium is intended for senior university leaders seeking a reference point for their efforts to develop or enhance existing programs.

The change in jobs and competences (e.g. green economy), the persistence of shortage occupations and an aging workforce are some of the challenges which our labour market faces. Against the background of innovation, trends and shifts in sectors, jobs, functions,¦ Flanders acknowledges the importance of enhancing the competences in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in its policy to respond and anticipate on these current and future trends and needs of the labour market. Different studies and data demonstrate that SMEs are less likely to participate in training and skills development than large firms. Because of their limited scale SMEs often encounter difficulties to train their employees. This is why Flanders (Belgium), next to four other countries, participated in the OECD project on Leveraging Training and Skills Development in SMEs. This study aims to identify the obstacles that SMEs encounter and how they can be overcome. For the study in Flanders the province of East Flanders has been chosen as a case study region on account of its high amount of SMEs that represent a diversity of activities and sectors and of the existence of knowledge clusters (e.g. Flanders Biotech Valley). The quantitative survey, the qualitative interviews with local SMEs and the local workshop on training activities and the skills development in SMEs were all held in this region, contributing to a better understanding of the dynamics in and between SMEs concerning training and skills development. The survey results for East Flanders confirm figures about training in SMEs available in other databases. The SMEs owner opinion about the importance of training for business success is a critical factor in how relevant and important training and skills development is perceived in a SME. The study also demonstrates that SMEs in East Flanders know many spontaneous, informal but well-targeted initiatives. There are signs of œeco-systems, initiated by the entrepreneurs themselves, but not in a systematic way. This indicates the often hidden potential that already exists at the level of SMEs. This study uncovers challenges at two levels. A first and necessary step for further coaching and support in organising training and development in SMEs is by increasing awareness for the importance of training and development for business success among SME's who are currently not scoring high on this topic. Secondly SMEs already concerned with training and development must be further supported and encouraged

In 2017, Alberta began a plan for diversification among many economic sectors in an attempt to ensure more sustainable, reliable and robust opportunities for growth. At the heart of these investments was a central focus on technology and its ability to propel both revenues and employment for the province. Anchored in primary evidence gathered from consultations with Albertan employers, and complemented by overall trend and data analysis, this study is an attempt to offer insight into the impact of technology and digital transformation on the Alberta labour force. With core digital occupations driving employment demand, this study forecasts critical employment trends for the top four high-growth sectors in the province until 2023. Section I of this report offers a historical overview of the Alberta economy. With emphasis on the energy sector as the (historically) most significant influencer of growth in the province, this section follows Alberta's economic and employment trajectory from 2008 to the recent recession.Section II provides a view of recent trends and future economic prospects for the province. Starting from Alberta's most recent journey into economic recovery, this section offers an introduction into the importance of technology for economic success and job growth.Section III paints a picture of Alberta's future by showcasing employment growth forecasted across Alberta's top four highgrowth sectors until 2023. For each sector, an analysis is provided of total employment, along with an understanding of the most in-demand digital and technical occupations. Employment forecasts for core digital roles and core technical roles are also included.Section IV provides an overview of Alberta's largest municipalities, with the most substantial technology footprint. Employment forecasts in these key jurisdictions are showcased until 2023. The cities represented are: Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge.Section V points to the top five in-demand digital roles in Alberta, followed by the critical skillsets needed by tomorrow's workforce.Section VI highlights supply trends in Alberta. Looking at recent developments across various streams such as new grads, women, immigrants and others, this section analyses the supply available to fill critical digital roles in Alberta's future economy and growth sectors. This section also provides a snapshot of self-identified skill competencies among Alberta's workers employed in the most in-demand digital roles.

Ontario's level of early-stage entrepreneurial activity is higher than the average among innovation-driven economies, ranking Ontario near to figures reported for national world leaders, which include Singapore, Israel, and the United States. Ontario's rate of opportunity-motivated entrepreneurship also ranks among the world's highest. Ontarians are quite aware of entrepreneurship, and they generally have a positive attitude toward entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial opportunities are believed to be abundant, and most Ontarians perceive conditions for starting businesses in the near future to be good

Calgary is a significant employer for the province of Alberta. Responsible for more than 30% of all employment in the province during 2016 and 44% of the province's tech workers10, the economic strength of the city cannot be understated. Other sectors, such as oil and gas, are beginning to utilize technology to help shape efficiencies, increase productivity and propel economic growth. Notable examples include shifts like the automation of drilling rigs, the use of underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) in oil and gas extraction, and the increasing reliance on data analytics to influence decision-making. In short, technology is quickly changing our economy, bringing with it the demand for digital talent. Calgary possesses a wealth of highly-skilled talent with backgrounds like engineering and science; however, with the significant job loss during the recent economic recession, many of these workers are now looking for new opportunities in the technology sector. In early 2017, Calgary Economic Development, in partnership with Rainforest Alberta and the Alberta Ministry of Labour, launched an event called PivotTECH. The purpose of the event was to help highlight opportunities for these highly-skilled workers in the technology sector, while simultaneously providing insight to employers about the skills of this talent base 11. This event was considered a critical starting point for connecting highly-skilled job-seekers with employers seeking skilled talent. The key conclusion of this event was that many of the city's displaced workers appear to have an interest in transitioning - or œpivoting - to in-demand occupations like software development, however are unclear of the steps to take when it comes to making the transition. No other Canadian city has the wealth of highly-skilled STEM educated talent that Calgary has. Assisting this talent with finding pathways into in-demand roles, while highlighting their existing skillsets to employers, can be a key anchor in supporting meaningful employment for Calgarians. Strategies like these move the city ever closer to strong economic diversification and ultimately, a healthy, sustainable and reliable economic future. By engaging with employers across Calgary's economy, this report showcases the most indemand digital occupations in the city, along with their corresponding skill needs. At the same time, the report also provides a fact-based and detailed skills analysis of the city's highly-skilled displaced workers. The results of this study will be incorporated into a web platform that will be developed by ICTC and Calgary Economic Development in early 2019 to educate displaced Calgarians on how to make the transition to high-tech opportunities.

Immigrants to Canada drive economic development and innovation through their participation in entrepreneurship. In Canada, immigrants represent a significant percentage of the country's entrepreneurs, and their companies are more likely to serve export markets than companies owned or managed by non-immigrants. While governments have established programs to support highly skilled immigrants and entrepreneurs in order to drive economic development, immigrants still face many barriers to establishing and growing their own businesses. This study explores the perspective of immigrant entrepreneurs in Ontario and the supports available to them. It aims to understand the factors that shape an immigrant entrepreneur's decision in terms of where to locate their business. We focused on immigrant entrepreneurs in Mississauga, Niagara and Picton. Our study surveyed entrepreneurs with a focus on those born outside of Canada. In addition, we mapped existing services at the federal, provincial, and local level and interviewed relevant service providers working with immigrant entrepreneurs in order to understand gaps in available services.