Speaking Notes
for
the Honourable Diane Finley
Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Polytechnics Canada Showcase
and
Industry Forum
November 9, 2011
Toronto, Ontario
Check against delivery
Good morning. I’m very glad to be among the most innovative, problem-solving minds in Canada.
We live in times of rapid change, global change, that has an enormous effect on all of us.
In fact, the world is evolving faster today than it ever has before.
And if the latest economic crisis has showed us anything, it's that our industries must respond and adapt as quickly as they can to these changes.
Product life cycles are shorter than ever, and nowhere is that more true than in the area of new technologies.
As soon as tne application is launched, along comes the next one that is better and faster.
Another important aspect to consider is that not only must our industries stay competitive domestically but they also must vie with international rivals.
And we should not forget that emerging countries are no longer content to manufacture products invented elsewhere: they have started to innovate as well.
Given this reality, which Canadian companies will be able to succeed and increase their productivity?
It will be the companies that constantly come out with new products, that develop new processes, and that adopt new methods of organization.
These are the companies that will grow the fastest and increase their market share and earnings.
These are the companies that will stimulate the economy and improve our living standards.
In May of this year, Canadians gave our Conservative government a strong, clear mandate: to create jobs and foster economic growth.
That’s why supporting innovation, through training and skill development has remained a critical component of our Economic Action Plan.
However, in order to innovate and succeed in a global economy, we need more than just good ideas.
As I told the students here yesterday afternoon, we also need to foster these ideas, support them – and help bring them into the market.
To do so, companies must be able to count on highly skilled workers.
And this future labour shortage is, I believe, the greatest challenge facing governments, educational institutions and employers today.
We’re facing a situation where we have more jobs than people able to do the work.
Low birth rates, coupled with the retirement of vast numbers of baby boomers, could lead to a labour shortage such as we’ve never experienced before in this country.
If we don’t address the skills gap now, it will only get wider.
This is why it’s more important than ever to focus on training and skill development.
Superior skills will enable Canadian workers to find well-paying jobs in growing industries such as energy, communications and biotechnology.
Today, for example, many workers find themselves without jobs because of downsizing and closures in traditional industries.
Some of those jobs have been replaced by technology or systems that frankly more cost-effective and efficient. And some of those jobs are gone forever.
So, we must help these displaced workers to retrain – or perhaps "upskill" - so they can take advantage of new opportunities in the labour market.
Each year the Government of Canada provides billions of dollars to provinces and territories so they can deliver training and employment supports to Canadian workers who need help to make the transition to new jobs.
Through Labour Market Agreements and Labour Market Development agreements with the provinces and territories, about 600,000 workers across the country are getting training and employment support -- every year.
That’s good news for laid-off workers who need to acquire new skills.
That’s also good news for businesses who want to obtain more productive workers.
Funding for training is particularly important for under-represented groups in the labour market, such as older workers, people with disabilities, and employed individuals who have low levels of literacy and essential skills.
Older workers, for example, have experience and knowledge that is very valuable in the workplace, but when they lose their jobs, they face particular challenges in getting back to work.
That’s why we introduced the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, or TIOW.
TIOW is a shared program with the provinces and territories that provides employment supports to unemployed older workers living in vulnerable communities affected by high unemployment, downsizing or major closures.
We’re also providing grants to encourage Canadians to get into apprenticeship programs.
In 2007 we launched the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, which provides up to $2,000 cash to apprentices who complete the first or second level of their apprenticeship program in a designated Red Seal trade.
In 2009, we introduced the Apprenticeship Completion Grant, which provides up to $2000 to people who complete their training and become certified as journeypersons.
Although it’s important to invest in training and skills for the current workforce – both young and old – we must not forget the next generation of workers. The students of today are our workforce and leaders of tomorrow.
In this regard, I would like to express my appreciation to the network of polytechnic institutions for acting as a bridge between students, workers and businesses.
You’re giving our next generation of workers access to the knowledge and the training they need to succeed while creating a pool of skilled and talented candidates that companies can draw from.
I know that businesses work closely with Polytechnics to help ensure that the skills of their graduates meet the needs of the economy.
I encourage you to further develop this partnership – and look for new solutions to the new challenges facing us.
Together, let’s look at how we can better prepare graduates for the world of work.
For instance, what do we need to do to produce the next generation of entrepreneurs – or perhaps more entrepreneurial employees?
I also encourage polytechnics to work with business to develop information that allows students to make good choices about their studies and careers.
And I challenge businesses to find ways to give polytechnics students more of the applied research opportunities and other work-related experience that allows them to hone their «real world» skills.
After all, we all know that there is a difference between learning from a textbook and having the hands-on experience of digging in and actually doing the job.
The closer the link between the world of education and the labour market, the stronger our economy will be.
According to the latest statistics, three of every four new jobs created in the next ten years will require a post-secondary education.
Many of these jobs will be in sectors in which the polytechnics are involved.
Digital technology is the prime example.
The IT sector is booming, because digital technology plays such a vital role in our daily lives.
That’s why our government announced that it intends to develop a Digital Economy Strategy.
My department is deeply involved in this effort, along with IndustryCanadaand Canadian Heritage.
We want to help small and medium-sized business adopt new information technology more quickly.
We also want to prepare students for a career in the digital industries.
And we want to increase the amount of digital content produced right here inCanada
You’ll be happy to know that my department, as part of this Strategy, will reallocate $60 million over the next three years to promote student enrolment in disciplines related to the digital economy.
To strengthen the link between skills and jobs, we also created the Working in Canada website.
It brings together information on employers that are hiring, and what skills they are looking for.
With this kind of data, Canadians will have a better chance of making the right training and career choices and of finding a job.
This service will also benefit sectors that are already facing labour shortages, such as health care, technology and the skilled trades.
Skills development is always a winning proposition.
In fact, acquiring any kind of training is one of the best investments a person can make.
You may be sorry you played the stock market, but you’ll never regret what you spent on learning a skill.
Now, more than ever, our future depends on creative people with ideas, and skilled people who can turn those ideas into practical applications.
In other words, our future depends on people like you.
And based on the thought-provoking discussions that we just had, I think you are up to the challenge.
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