Polygon Created with Sketch. Home | Research

Social and Emotional Skills

As automation and other technological changes continue to disrupt the nature of work, the skillset that Canadians develop through their post-secondary training is a key foundation for workplace success.

In the emerging economy, technical skills are only part of the current and future skills needs equation. In fact, more than ever, success in the workplace requires social and emotional skills, which encompass the ability to regulate emotions and behaviours, collaborate with others, communicate effectively, and adapt to new workplace environments and challenges. Social and emotional skills are highly sought-after by employers, but they’re tough to teach and tough to measure. With an eye on how to prepare Canadians for workplace success in an evolving labour market, this project will seek to identify emerging and best practices for developing and assessing social and emotional skills.

A group of individuals looking at computer screens.

While skills development is a life-long endeavour, a key foundation for workplace success is the skills training that Canadians receive through post-secondary training. The first year of this multi-year project will therefore focus primarily on the current state of social and emotional skills training and development in Canadian post-secondary education (PSE) institutions. The main question we aim to answer is: How are PSE programs targeting social and emotional skills development in order to prepare graduates for work and citizenry? 

Other research projects

Colleagues smiling while looking at a laptop
Research

Aligning Workforce Skills with Quebec’s Future of Work

Skills development in Quebec received a major boost with a three year, $20 million agreement between the Future Skills Centre and the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail (CPMT). The partnership supported CPMT initiatives that strengthened and adapted workforce capabilities to meet both current and future labour market demands in Quebec. 
Research

Adoption Ready? The AI Exposure of Jobs and Skills in Canada’s Public Sector Workforce

This project investigates how artificial intelligence adoption could affect Canada’s public sector workforce, examining whether AI is more likely to assist workers with job tasks or automate those tasks entirely.
Research

Perceptions of trades training gaining traction over university

Canada faces a shortage of workers in the skilled trades, resulting in part from persistent labour-market demand driven by activity in construction, manufacturing, transportation and…