Speaking Notes
for
the Honourable Diane Finley,
Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development
at the
Canadian Chapter
of the International Institute of Communications' conference entitled
Connections, Content and Consumers: Towards a National Digital Strategy for Canada
November 23, 2010
Ottawa, Ontario
Check against delivery
Good morning
I'm very happy to be here to talk about the digital economy.
It's certainly a big part of my life.
As you can probably imagine, I travel a lot.
Today, I was thinking about how much I depend on digital technology to get me from place to place, to keep me in touch with other people, to help me process the enormous amount of information that I need to know in my job.
I also use digital technology in what I will-for lack of a better word-call my "leisure" time.
I've come to depend on these technologies so much that if any of those systems went down, I'd be hard pressed to cope.
In that respect, I'm like millions of other people.
Digital technologies are everywhere and critical to almost every activity in our society.
These technologies enable businesses to be innovative and productive; help governments provide services; and allow citizens to interact and share information.
Digital technology is so pervasive that using it is no longer a choice.
Digital skills have therefore become increasingly important.
Canadians in all walks of life need to have the skill sets to be able to access, use and interpret digital information.
As technology evolves, it will be harder and harder to participate in the labour market and society unless you have digital skills.
Here is a critical statistic: over 40 percent of the workforce currently lacks the basic literacy and digital skills that are needed to thrive in the digital economy.
And that means that a significant percentage of the workforce can't, for example, read technical manuals to allow them to learn on the job and use new digital technologies.
They are also not always able to fully participate in today's economy, and will have an even harder time participating in tomorrow's economy.
And these are not just older workers.
A third of those lacking literacy and digital skills are under 35 years of age.
Of course, lacking digital skills doesn't just impact workers, it impacts our ability to grow and compete.
It means that firms will not adapt to new technologies that drive productivity and may avoid bidding for lucrative contracts because they know they don't have workers with the right skills.
There is also a threat that the growing digital divide will exclude certain groups from active engagement in mainstream economic and social activities.
This includes: rural and remote Canadians; low-income individuals; Aboriginal people; immigrants; and people with disabilities.
Yesterday, you heard from my esteemed colleague the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, who talked about the elements of our government's forthcoming Digital Economy Strategy.
And as Minister Clement noted, ensuring that Canadians have the right digital skills-both within the Information Communications Technology - or ICT sector and across the economy more broadly-is a key issue.
Turning first to the ICT sector, it goes almost without saying that to stay competitive in the global marketplace, digital skills development must be addressed.
The ICT sector is anticipating skills shortages. Yet post-secondary education enrolment and completions are not keeping pace with need. There are good, high paying jobs in your sector that are available and in some cases unfilled.
But it is not just the ICT sector that needs people with these skills. Almost every sector of the economy needs workers who have technical and digital skills.
To name just a few, that includes sectors such as health care, manufacturing and finance.
So if we don't have the systems in place to develop ICT skills for the entire economy, we're putting Canada's long-term prosperity at risk.
That's why the Government of Canada will develop and implement a strategy that will help us work in collaboration with our industry, education and government partners to build a skilled workforce and a stronger Canada.
That means working with educators to ensure that students graduate with the right skills.
And working with industry to ensure that those already in the workplace are digitally literate, so they can adapt to the changing economy.
While Industry Canada is leading the development of the strategy, my department, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, is also playing a crucial role.
In May of this year, Minister Clement launched public consultations on the Digital Economy Strategy at the Canada 3.0 digital conference in Stratford, Ontario.
I was at that launch and did a presentation on the skills and learning aspect of the digital economy.
This summer, HRSDC carried out its own round of public consultations, mainly through the Digital Economy website.
Over the nine-week consultation period, we asked people about the critical challenges in skills development for a digital economy and the best ways to address these challenges.
We also asked respondents about how the digital economy will affect Canada's learning system, and what we can do to address the digital divide.
The consultations demonstrated just how important digital skills will be moving forward.
Of the 277 formal submissions received on the consultation website, nearly one-third were related to digital skills.
Some broad themes emerged:
- support for digital skills training and mentorships;
- an emphasis on recognizing international credentials and better integrating new Canadians into the labour market;
- the need for improved labour market information;
- the need for dialogue with the provinces and territories on digital skills training and education;
- and, support for research and innovative initiatives related to digital learning.
It's clear that people want the Government of Canada to play a leadership role in this area.
Our stakeholders told us that before people can use computers or other kinds of digital technology, they need to have a strong foundation of literacy.
They told us we need to educate the educators, and to embed digital skills into existing training.
And of course, they talked about the importance of partnerships, because none of us can deal with these issues on our own.
That's why the Government of Canada will continue working with other levels of government, and industry and educational partners across the country.
Let me briefly describe some of the steps my department is already taking to support digital skills development.
HRSDC's Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, or OLES, works with partners across Canada to increase adult literacy levels and essential skills, including digital skills.
OLES currently has several digital skills projects underway.
Let me mention just one: the Canadian Virtual College Consortium, which will develop online learning material for essential skills.
Digital skills training is also a component of several HRSDC programs for older workers, Aboriginal people, homeless people and youth.
HRSDC provides support to the provinces and territories through labour market agreements and labour market development agreements.
These agreements can be used, in part, to fund digital skills training.
As Minister Clement said yesterday, a strong digital economy will be the backbone of Canada's future prosperity.
We all have a role to play in shaping that future.
I look forward to playing my part, as I hope you look forward to playing yours.
Thank you
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