About HRSDC | Policies and Programs | A-Z Index
November 24, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05-93
OTTAWA, ONTARIO — Belinda Stronach, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal, today announced that the Government of Canada will provide close to $8 million through the Sector Council Program and the Foreign Credential Recognition ( FCR ) Program, to promote a skilled work force in the technology and software sectors.
“To ensure our continued global competitiveness, Canada needs productive and successful workplaces, supported by a highly skilled work force,” said Minister Stronach. “This funding will help workers in the technology and software industries stay at the forefront, internationally, of their respective sectors.”
The Canadian Technology Human Resources Board (CTHRB) will receive over $1.6 million (through the Sector Council Program) for four projects promoting skills development within the technology sector. The focus of the CTHRB is on sustaining Canada ’s technology sector by working with industry stakeholders to train, develop, represent, and employ technicians and technologists.
“The CTHRB appreciates the contributions of the Government of Canada in support of our activities to continue to develop skills and competencies in Canada’s technology work force, by balancing labour market supply and demand, increasing the value of technology to the Canadian economy, and creating a technology sector that can compete in the global market,” said Bob Cook, CTHRB Executive Director.
The Software Human Resources Council (SHRC) will receive a total of over $6.3 million for three projects related to skills development (through the Sector Council Program) and one project related to integrating immigrants into the work force (through the FCR Program). The SHRC works with industry, government, the education sector, employees and associations to develop innovative strategies to support and influence the human resources development of the Canadian worker.
“The information technology sector is rebounding strongly in Canada and employment has almost reached the levels attained in 2001,” said Paul Swinwood, President of the SHRC. “The SHRC is pleased to be able to partner with HRSDC in the development of strategies and programs to meet the changing and growing demand for IT workers.”
The Government of Canada’s FCR Program will improve the integration of internationally trained workers into the labour force by working with key stakeholder organizations, such as professional bodies, trade associations and sector councils, to implement projects that will facilitate the assessment and recognition of qualifications acquired in a foreign jurisdiction.
The FCR Program is a key element of the Government of Canada’s Internationally Trained Workers Initiative, designed to promote a strong economy while improving the health of Canadians and supporting the growth and prosperity of Canada ’s cities and communities. It is also crucial to enhancing the cultural vibrancy of our society and to maintaining our country’s commitment to equality of opportunity so that all Canadians can share in prosperity.
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal Budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.
The projects have been reviewed to ensure their compliance with the Department’s administration of its grant and contribution programs, and they are subject to review under the Financial Administration Act.
For details, see the attached backgrounders.
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For more information (media only):
Normand Bergeron
Special Advisor, Communications
Office of Minister Belinda Stronach
(819) 994-2482
BACKGROUNDER
Sector Council
Description of Project
Funding
Canadian Technology Human Resources Board (CTHRB)
Infrastructure ―This project will provide the CTHRB with stable operating funds, allowing it to focus on responding to skills needs, representing the collective interests of industry partners, developing links with the educational system, and being results-based.
$774,400
Technology First Work: Career Focus ―This project will address skills shortages in technical and technological positions by increasing the supply of qualified new entrants to the labour force.
$554,967
Outreach and Marketing ― This project will clarify the CTHRB’s strategic focus and its bilateral relationships with other sector councils. It will also raise awareness within the labour force of the CTHRB’s labour market information and human resources development tools and services.
$124,955
Canadian Technology Standards (CTS) Analysis ― A study will be conducted on the key labour issues in Canada’s engineering and technology work force related to the need for, and use and maintenance of, occupational standards.
$150,000
Software Human Resource Council (SHRC)
Expanding the Reach ―This project will help the SHRC to address the broader skills issues of the information technology (IT) sector as a whole, as opposed to those uniquely tied to software. This project includes the development of five to 10 hardware-specific occupational profiles. These profiles are seen as necessary to acquiring labour market information on the breakdown of “software” versus “hardware” practitioners.
$1,995,000
IT LMI Supply and Demand Project ―Through this project, a comprehensive analysis of key supply and demand issues affecting or about to affect recruitment and retention of Canada ’s IT professionals will be developed. Based on this knowledge, human resources strategies will be developed to enhance Canada ’s competitiveness in IT across key sectors of the economy.
$2,700,000
SHRC Career Focus ―Through this project, the SHRC will provide employment opportunities for a minimum of 87 graduates, who will be placed with employers interested in the Career Focus Program for the 2005–2006, 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 fiscal years.
$1,300,000
Software Human Resource Council (SHRC)
Building the Information Technology Framework for Internationally Educated Professionals— The objective of this project is to conduct research and situational analyses while building partnerships to enable the SHRC to develop a framework that will enable Canada to lead in the attraction, retention and integration of internationally educated professionals in the IT sector.
$ 398,500
Total Projects
$7,997,822
Sector Councils
To meet the needs of a 21 st-century economy, Canada will require a highly skilled and adaptable workforce.
Currently, employers and workers are experiencing the pressures of skills and labour shortages related to rapid demographic and technological changes affecting the Canadian economy. Countries around the world are facing similar challenges.
A key element of the Government’s strategy to build an even more globally competitive and sustainable economy is to invest in people. The Government is investing on three main fronts to ensure that Canada has the work force it needs – updating the skills of our existing work force; addressing the needs of groups with special needs, such as youth and our Aboriginal population; and ensuring foreign trained professionals and newcomers can fully participate in the labour market and Canadian society.
Sector councils
Sector councils embody the principles of partnerships and are key to the Government of Canada’s strategy to ensuring that our economy succeeds in the 21 st century. Sector councils help employers and workers in key industries collaborate to address workplace skills issues. These pan-Canadian organizations bring together business, labour and learning stakeholders to share ideas, concerns and perspectives about human resources and skills issues, and to find solutions that benefit the sector. They help ensure that workers and those seeking employment are well prepared for the challenges of the rapidly evolving labour market.
Sector councils are a proven method of meeting emerging skills requirements, addressing skills and labour shortages, and building essential skills in the workplace—the foundation for continuous learning.
There are currently 31 national sector councils representing traditional industries, such as mining and textiles, and emerging industries, such as biotechnology and the environment. The current national sector council network covers approximately 48 percent of Canada ’s labour market. The Government of Canada is committed to strengthening and expanding the network of sector councils so that more Canadian workers benefit from them.
The objectives of sector councils are as follows:
define and anticipate skills and human resources issues related to the rapidly evolving workplace;
promote lifelong learning in the workplace to help workers gain the skills and knowledge they need in the changing economy;
encourage the learning system to be responsive to the labour market;
facilitate labour mobility and market transitions; and
encourage the private sector to invest in solutions that address skills challenges.
Ultimately, sector councils look at their industry’s human resources issues and find solutions that are right for them.
Sector Council Program
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada is the federal department that houses the Sector Council Program.
Through the program, the Government of Canada supports a range of activities, including the following:
diagnostic studies on workforce trends; and
projects to foster industry-wide skills development, such as occupational standards development, curricula and distance learning initiatives, expanding efforts to recognize prior learning and workplace essential skills development.
The Sector Council Program is working to achieve certain key goals, including the following:
increasing coverage and penetration of the labour market;
focusing on performance and demonstrating results; and
increasing sector councils’ engagement and profile with industry players and post-secondary institutions.
History of Sector Councils
The Sector Council Program, originally called the Sectoral Partnerships Initiative, was launched in 1993 to foster the development of a training culture in the private sector by matching employers’ training investments. Prompted by labour market development agreements (1995–1999), sector councils evolved from purchasers of training and learning opportunities for workers to influencers of the learning system. In addition to influencing the learning system, sector councils continue to focus employers’ attention on the importance of training as well as to promote issues such as recruitment, retention, and most recently, the integration of foreign-trained professionals.
Workplace Skills Strategy
The Sector Council Program is linked to Canada’s Workplace Skills Strategy, aimed at helping Canadians to become the best trained, most highly skilled workers in the world, as well as ensuring that employers’ needs are met. The Government of Canada recognizes that Canada ’s future competitiveness depends on a highly skilled work force and on high-performance workplaces that focus on skills development. It will work with business, unions, provinces and territories, sector councils and workers to ensure that all Canadians have the opportunity to develop their skills so that they can obtain meaningful and productive jobs.
For more information on the Government of Canada ’s Sector Council Program, please visit the HRSDC Web site at www.hrsdc.gc.ca.
