Canadian HR Reporter

Credit: ValeStock (Shutterstock) T he "skills gap" — meaning jobs without people and people with- out jobs — continues to dominate discussions among policymakers and employers. How do we ensure Canada has the skills it needs to thrive in the 21st century, particularly at a time when dis- ruptive technologies and shifting markets are expected to put many jobs at risk? "How do you plan when you cannot pre- dict?" is a question that has preoccupied many of those working on labour market and training issues. One big question is al- ways: Where will the jobs be? What regions, what sectors, what levels? e "talent gap" is often shaped by re- gional or sectoral forces but it is multifac- eted. For many young people, the future appears grim. Unemployment rates, par- ticularly in large urban centres, are high and unemployment among youth with challenges — such as Aboriginal youth or those with disabilities — is much higher. And while the average immigrant has a higher level of education than the aver- age Canadian-born worker, they also have higher rates of unemployment and under- employment. e domestic market can- not meet the needs of the high-tech sector for highly skilled computer scientists and engineers. But this issue is not just about entry level positions. Long-time employees are quak- ing in their boots as even well-established companies implement massive layoff s in eff orts to redefi ne themselves at the very same time many companies are screaming for seasoned middle managers. And as the boomers retire, the problem will only worsen. No matter how clever and well-trained, a tech-savvy graduate cannot easily replace someone with years of experi- ence building and leading teams. Defi ning skills Part of the problem lies with the way in which jobs and skills are defi ned. ere is little doubt, for example, that the assess- ment of the career readiness and skills of re- cent university graduates diff ers depending on whom you talk to. One study undertaken by the Diversity Institute that examined the perspectives of 193 Ontario employers and 204 recent graduates showed big gaps in perceptions. While more than 90 per cent of the graduates believed they were highly profi cient in oral communication, only 48 per cent of employers agreed. Even more — 93 per cent — claimed to be highly profi cient in written communica- tion skills compared to only 39 per cent of employers. ere were comparable gaps in: the as- sessment of ability to learn on the job; pro- fi ciency with Microsoft offi ce; and profi - ciency with MS Excel and ethics ability. Part of the challenge appears to be the way in which graduates and employers de- fi ne these skills. Social sciences and human- ities graduates think they have excellent written communication skills because they can write academic papers, but employers are looking for very diff erent skills. In one context, length, complexity and nuance are valued — in the other, brevity, conciseness and clarity win the day. Employment-linked education What has the most promise, and requires the full engagement of employers, is employment-linked education. Without question, traditional co-op and experiential learning opportunities help embed this in degree programs, but more is needed to be able to off er fl exible and timely training and experiences that can off er just-in-time skills and experience layered onto a solid founda- tion that a university degree provides. Intensive boot camps coupled with paid internships have proven effective for a range of needs. While a four-month pro- gram in coding or systems analysis will never replace a four-year computer sci- ence degree, it is suffi cient for many roles that require in-demand technological skills. Turning a smart, articulate English gradu- ate into a social media wizard does not require years of additional education but some targeted skills and, more importantly, an opportunity to apply them in a real world environment. Bridging programs for immigrants, in- cluding internships, are intensive and ex- pensive but they pay off big time in helping people enter the workforce and advance. And providing talent to help small busi- nesses ramp up for new global technology environments is critical to sustain growth. Post-secondary institutions know they cannot do it alone and are increasingly try- ing to partner with others. Employers that do their share reap the benefi ts — those who actively recruit summer and co-op students report they often account for up to 50 per cent of entry level hires. New approaches Post-secondary institutions are changing but they need to do more. While there are many proponents of radical new approach- es and models enabled by technology, these remain, after more than 30 years, peripher- al. e majority of university classes are still taught the way they were taught 30 years ago or even 300 years ago, with someone talking and a lot of people listening (or pre- tending to listen). Too often, discussions around these is- sues are simple-minded and dichotomous. Bridging these gaps requires innovative, new approaches to how employers and post-secondary institutions think and work together, along with agencies addressing specifi c employment and training needs. e answer to complex problems is seldom found in simple solutions. Because of the diffi culties in predicting exactly where the jobs will be and the noto- riously long planning cycles associated with developing and implementing new degree or even certifi cate programs, there is a sig- nifi cant risk that by the time the graduates appear, the jobs that were in demand are fi lled and new, urgent needs have emerged. Just doing what employers say we should do may be based on good intentions but poor information. While science, technol- ogy, engineering and math (STEM) disci- plines are important, so are the social sci- ences and humanities. While engineers and computers scien- tists enjoy high employment rates, science graduates have unemployment rates that approach those for social science and hu- manities graduates. More importantly, the ability to create and build new technology only creates in- novation if someone actually uses it — so understanding consumer and organiza- tional behaviour, policy and ethical issues cannot be ignored. Similarly, the debate about colleges ver- sus universities needs to shift to colleges and universities. It's just silly to suggest that one or the other is the solution to all that ails us. And pointing a fi nger upstream to the elementary schools system is not help- ful without concrete suggestions about how to better link them to post-secondary in- stitutions and other training opportunities. e key elements of an eff ective strategy are clear: • Credible and triangulated labour market information — we may not know where the market will go but we need to know what we do and do not know. is includes not just supply and demand information but who does what mapping of programs and services. • A systems approach that promotes work- ing together to solve real problems rather than just talking about them. Of particular importance is building the right combina- tion of high-quality, in-depth education and short-term intensive training with the ability to respond quickly to chang- ing markets without slavishly following them. And more sharing — of courses, of credits, of approaches to prior learning as- sessment. At least at the provincial level, publicly funded institutions and programs need to work more eff ectively together. And working more closely with employers while preserving the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake is critically important. COLLABORATION > pg. 14 EMPLOYEE/HR EDUCATION FEATURES By Wendy Cukier Intensive boot camps coupled with paid internships have proven effective for a range of needs. Employment-linked education has most promise Bridging the Bridging the towards the 21st century workforce towards the 21st century workforce towards the 21st century workforce towards the 21st century workforce towards the 21st century workforce

• Cover