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Understanding Future Skills: Case of the Montreal Aerospace Cluster

The report examines how organizations contribute to the development and management of talent at the regional level, with a specific focus on the case study of the Montreal aerospace cluster.

The report will examine how diverse actors in this cluster – including large-scale manufacturers, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the value chains associated with these enterprises, trade unions, training bodies, and government agencies – have developed practices that have led to a diversified talent pool. A key focus of the report is on the forms and methods of collaboration used by these actors to enable the cluster to collectively ensure that the skills required for production, research and development (R&D), and the optimization of value chains are present in the cluster’s workforce.

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Similarly, the ways in which these actors collectively anticipate future skills needs will also be examined. Stepping back from the specifics of the case study, the authors will also draw lessons and implications from this study of Montreal’s aerospace cluster for the wider Canadian context and skills strategies in other regions.

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Women in Trades: Progress, Barriers and Opportunities

The research addressed three core questions: What is the current state of women’s participation in skilled trades in Canada? What systemic barriers prevent women from entering, completing and advancing in the trades? And what strategies, domestically and internationally, have shown the most promise in addressing these barriers?
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Workforce Training in Canadian SMEs: Barriers and Promising Models

This project responds to the need for a clearer understanding of the factors shaping SME upskilling and the conditions under which training investments are more effective.
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The Right AI Tool for the Job: The Productivity Potential of AI Applications in Canada

Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to revolutionize work and drive productivity gains not seen in years. To assess the potential impact of AI, this analysis links AI application exposure to industry-level productivity outcomes.
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