The COVID-19 pandemic has radically transformed the nature of work and learning, but if you think the big changes are over, think again.
From climate change to digital disruption, urbanization to shifting demographics, Canada’s labour market is being reshaped by countless forces. As we rebuild our economy and communities in the wake of COVID-19, the stark reality of rapid, constant change must be front of mind.
Challenges of this magnitude will rely on a recovery that is both inclusive and industry-aligned.
We know, for example, that Canadian employers need a workforce with the knowledge and skills to hit the ground running, even as the ground shifts under their feet. The runway from on-boarding to performance is shortening. Competency and productivity are increasingly core to competitiveness and profitability.
How can Canada ready itself?
Responding to these challenges requires Canada’s post-secondary institutions to develop talent in new ways — both by building flexibility and resilience in new graduates and finding ways to keep the mid-career workforce connected to retraining over time. The human face of economic recovery is very much about meeting learners where they are and constantly evolving how we prepare them for what’s ahead.
At Toronto’s George Brown College, we’ve had to be both agile and innovative. It means working with industry to understand the pressures they’re facing, then ensuring the programs we offer prepare people for those realities. It also means working within our community to identify how best to support and propel individual success, making room for learners of all ages, cultures and life experience.
For youth looking to enter the workplace for the first time, classrooms must mimic commercial kitchens, hospital wards, construction sites and design studios. Instructors with years of professional experience ensure education is practical and relevant.
Polytechnics, like George Brown, take it a step further by embedding experiential learning across programs. The ability to apply the theories and examples learned in class ensure students build both competency and confidence in real-world settings. This is how many of our learners connect with the employers who will hire them upon graduation.
In response to an increasingly global economy, we have found ways to look beyond the local labour market for these opportunities. A recent pilot project focused on building intercultural skills using virtual placements with companies in Spain, Portugal, China, Japan, Singapore and Sweden.
Closer to home, students innovate and problem-solve alongside industry through college-led research projects. Working with local business partners, learners help bring new ideas to life. Over the past 14 years, more than 15,000 student research experiences were delivered at our institution. Exposure to day-to-day business realities creates an innovation-ready talent pipeline.
Meanwhile, those with experience under their belts have a different set of needs. In some sectors and occupations, the pandemic caused major career setbacks. Women and racialized Canadians were particularly hard hit. Even with employment starting to rebound, it is logical that those most impacted would be looking for new opportunities. That’s why we actively assess prior learning and experience, shortening the path to high-demand careers in fields such as cybersecurity, the green economy and health care.
Other adult learners are looking to stay current. So we recently partnered with robotics solution provider GlobalDWS to create an online Service Robotics micro-credential to bring working professionals up to speed on this emerging specialization.
But we must not forget the thousands of entrepreneurs rethinking the very viability of their businesses after months of reduced traffic and stay-at-home orders. Those owned or operated by under-represented groups have experienced even greater setbacks.
It is important for educators to offer collision spaces for industry, learners and educators — hubs of innovation, ideation and talent development. Leading-edge simulation labs offer both students and businesses access to recent technology and equipment.
For businesses, recovery might mean streamlining operations, adopting new technology or exploring a new business model. Addressing very real challenges and exploring new opportunities is the flip-side benefit of experiential research projects. Our applied research offices are able to source government funding, identify expert faculty and draw upon student talent, creating win-win collaborations.
Big changes are ahead, ready or not. I like to think we’re better prepared when we operate in the space between people and the private sector, where challenge and opportunity collide.
Photo courtesy of Polytechnics Canada
