Federal government turns to businesses to develop projects to improve workplace skills development
The federal government is encouraging companies to submit proposals for pilot projects that will enhance Canada’s human resources management.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Skills Development is sponsoring the program, called the Workplace Skills Initiative (WSI), as part of Canada’s overall Workplace Skills Strategy.
The goal is to address specific issues affecting Canada’s workforce and build leading edge HR strategies that address a range of skills-related challenges in the workplace so that Canada can effectively compete in the global knowledge-based economy.
“Canada’s greatest source of creativity and economic strength is its people, and our future competitiveness depends on a highly skilled workforce,” said Belinda Stronarch, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
“The Workplace Skills Initiative will help us improve and sustain our skilled labour force by encouraging employers to test new approaches to developing the skills of their workers. It will also help workers overcome some of the barriers that often prevent them from developing workplace skills.”
Skills gaps are becoming more prevalant in small and medium-sized organizations as the workforce ages, technology solutions proliferate, skill levels increase and lifelong learning becomes a priority.
The WSI program director Dave Thornton said that traditional methods of closing these gaps - calssroom, conferences and mentoring - often fall short because evolving knowledge-based skills levels require a holistic approach.
The goal of the WSI is to develop, in partnership with Canadian businesses, new and innovative solutions to these problems, while focusing on employed Canadians.
The projects will be developed over the next three years and address one of the following:
For further information, please go to the ministry’s website.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Skills Development is sponsoring the program, called the Workplace Skills Initiative (WSI), as part of Canada’s overall Workplace Skills Strategy.
The goal is to address specific issues affecting Canada’s workforce and build leading edge HR strategies that address a range of skills-related challenges in the workplace so that Canada can effectively compete in the global knowledge-based economy.
“Canada’s greatest source of creativity and economic strength is its people, and our future competitiveness depends on a highly skilled workforce,” said Belinda Stronarch, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
“The Workplace Skills Initiative will help us improve and sustain our skilled labour force by encouraging employers to test new approaches to developing the skills of their workers. It will also help workers overcome some of the barriers that often prevent them from developing workplace skills.”
Skills gaps are becoming more prevalant in small and medium-sized organizations as the workforce ages, technology solutions proliferate, skill levels increase and lifelong learning becomes a priority.
The WSI program director Dave Thornton said that traditional methods of closing these gaps - calssroom, conferences and mentoring - often fall short because evolving knowledge-based skills levels require a holistic approach.
The goal of the WSI is to develop, in partnership with Canadian businesses, new and innovative solutions to these problems, while focusing on employed Canadians.
The projects will be developed over the next three years and address one of the following:
- Innovative approaches to workplace skills development including: essential skills and literacy; management, supervisory and leadership skills; technical skills; and soft business skills
- How to adopt and share improved HR practices relating to recruiting, retaining and retraining employees
- Innovative approaches to promote partnerships and information sharing within and across firms and sectors
For further information, please go to the ministry’s website.
