A business/industry-and-education “think tank” is urging the federal government to foster more “real world” work placements as an integral component of postsecondary schooling.
On September 5, the Business/Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) submitted a letter to Finance Minister Bill Morneau, calling for a national strategy that would give every postsecondary student a chance to participate in a valuable work experience before they finish school.
“As Canada navigates an uncertain economic and trade environment, it has never been more important to focus on how our country can best prepare the next generation for the future of work,” said Dave McKay, President and Chief Executive Officer of RBC, and BHER’s Industry Co-Chair.
The letter urges the federal government to facilitate a national approach to work-integrated learning (WIL) by committing new federal investment to a national platform that will make it easier for employers and students to connect and participate in work placements.
It also urges the government to expand existing student work placements to students from all disciplines, with special emphasis on those from under-represented groups, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit students.
“The Business/Higher Education Roundtable was the first organization to commit to the goal of 100 percent WIL in 2016,” said Anne Sado, President of George Brown College and a BHER Co-Chair. “We are very encouraged by the significant progress made since then, including the growing number of governments and organizations that have joined our call, but we need all partners to continue these investments so that all students benefit.”
“The level of support we have from across the country shows how postsecondary institutions, businesses and other important groups are ready to step up and address the challenges ahead,” said Elizabeth Cannon, President of the University of Calgary and a BHER Co-Chair. “We urge the federal government to join us as we create meaningful opportunities for our students to succeed.”
Composed of leaders from the private sector, universities, colleges and polytechnics, BHER works to support students as they transition from education to the workplace, strengthen research collaboration between industry and institutions, and help Canadian employers as they adapt to the economy of the future. (Learn more at bher.ca.)
AND THE LETTER READS …
Dear Minister Morneau,
In Budget 2018, you highlighted the need to position Canadians for success in the global economy by supporting new and innovative approaches to skills development.
Already, your government has invested in a number of important initiatives to enhance Canada’s future talent pool: the Future Skills Centre, Mitacs, the Youth Employment Strategy and the new Student Work Placement Program.
As employers, educators and students, we believe that the most efficient and effective way to prepare Canada’s youth for the coming skills revolution is to embrace a national work-integrated learning (WIL) strategy. WIL opportunities such as co-ops, internships, apprenticeships and applied research projects enable students to apply their skills and knowledge in the workplace.
They introduce young people to potential new career paths, while providing businesses with access to new talent, energy and ideas.
Now is the time to make Canada the world leader in WIL – to commit to ensuring that every postsecondary student in the country has access to a valuable work experience by the time they finish school. This is not just a job for government: all of us have a role to play in supporting young Canadians and making this vision a reality.
We, the undersigned, join the Business/Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) in recommending the following actions, and fully support BHER’s pre-budget submission to the Standing Committee on Finance:
1. Launch a National WIL Strategy and create a National Taskforce to implement it.
2. Commit additional federal funding to the existing WIL matching platform investment (e.g. Orbis/Magnet) to increase functionality and reach more employers. The result will be a national WIL platform that will simplify WIL participation for employers and provide a place to house resources to help expand and develop new programs and share best practices.
3. Increase WIL funding to support employers that offer meaningful WIL placements. This should focus on small- and medium-sized enterprises and companies that are new to WIL.
4. Expand existing WIL programs to include humanities and social sciences students, international students and not-for-profit organizations.
5. Place special emphasis on WIL funding for students from under-represented groups, including First Nations, Metis and Inuit students, to ensure WIL can truly be a social and economic equalizer.
6. Leverage existing federal programs and initiatives, including the Innovation Superclusters Initiative and the Economic Strategy Tables, and changes to procurement policies that would reward companies that participate in WIL.
7. Increase the number of WIL placements offered by the Government of Canada to maintain its position as an employer of choice and in support of its public service renewal.
As the Canadian economy faces an uncertain global environment, we need a well-prepared, well-educated, and highly skilled workforce to navigate these shifts.
We thank you for your investments to date, and urge your government to continue creating new opportunities for young people and breaking down barriers that prevent Canadians from reaching their full potential.
Sincerely,
John Manley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Business Council of Canada
Rob Henderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, BioTalent Canada
Greg D’Avignon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Business Council of British Columbia
Manjeet Birk, Executive Director, Canadian Alliance of Student Associations
Ray Massey, Acting Executive Director, Canadian Apprenticeship Forum
Perrin Beatty, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Mary Van Buren, President, Canadian Construction Association
Jean Paul Gladu, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
Dennis Darby, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
Denise Amyot, President and Chief Executive Officer, Colleges and Institutes Canada
Claudia Sperling, President, Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada
Yves-Thomas Dorval, Président-directeur general, Conseil du patronat du Québec
Kevin Nilsen, President and Chief Executive Officer, ECO Canada
Michelle Branigan, Chief Executive Officer, Electricity Human Resources Canada
Gabriel Miller, Executive Director, Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Robert Watson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Information Technology Association of Canada
Yung Wu, Chief Executive Officer, MaRS Discovery District
Pierre Gratton, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
Alejandro Adem, Chief Executive Officer and Scientific Director, Mitacs
Rocco Rossi, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
Sarah Watts-Rynard, Chief Executive Officer, Polytechnics Canada
Jennifer Reynolds, President and Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Financial Services Alliance
Meric Gertler, Chair, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
Paul Davidson, President, Universities Canada
Scott Stirrett, Executive Director and Founder, Venture for Canada
