Category: Growing Talent for the 21st century

Home / Archive by category "Growing Talent for the 21st century"
November 21, 2025

To build big things, we must build the builders

By Zabeen Hirji, Inez Jabalpurwala, and Pari Johnston.

This op-ed was published by The Globe and Mail on October 31, 2025.

Zabeen Hirji is an executive adviser to business and governments and former chief human resources officer at Royal Bank of Canada.

Inez Jabalpurwala is the president and CEO of the Public Policy Forum.

Pari Johnston is president and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada.

The federal government has embarked on an ambitious nation-building economic growth agenda, one that needs an equally ambitious talent and skills agenda. Nowhere is this more evident than in the government’s push to fast-track major projects – a cornerstone of its new industrial strategy to drive growth.

But a big question remains: Where will the talent and new skills come from? The answer is clear: In our drive to build big things, we’re going to have to build big talent, too.

To get there, we need to connect the dots, aligning the government’s project-acceleration agenda with its work-force-acceleration agenda.

Major projects already on the national list, including critical minerals, small modular reactors, liquefied natural gas, infrastructure and corridors, will require tens of thousands of skilled workers over the next decade. The Ontario Power Generation SMR project alone will need 1,600 workers during the construction phase.

And then there is the urgent need to build everything from millions of homes over the coming 10 years to new ships for the navy, coast guard and Transport Canada.

A recent Deloitte report estimated that, factoring in retirements by 2034, Canada may need more than 800,000 new construction workers. An anticipated doubling of electricity demand by 2050 and the required doubling or tripling of supply will require more than a million workers, according to a 2023 Public Policy Forum report.

Apart from major projects, Canada also needs people to fuel its life sciences and AI sectors, both of which could drive productivity.

We need tradespeople, research scientists, project managers, permitting specialists, biomedical engineers, data scientists, Indigenous community negotiators, laboratory technicians, cybersecurity analysts and environmental scientists, to name only a few.

We need a co-ordinated national approach to develop the work force that aligns labour-market strategies with all of Canada’s nation-building efforts, including major projects and housing, ultimately ensuring an inclusive economic future.

This begins with aligning curriculums and immigration to work-force needs, but it does not end there. We must co-ordinate work-force, innovation and industrial strategy and infrastructure in order to attract, develop and retain talent, and enable SMEs to scale up.

In particular, government procurement levers should be used to encourage large suppliers to invest in the development of a local work force, and provincial and regional funding streams could be designed to support initiatives that directly respond to the evidenced needs of local businesses.

Governments and businesses must address the chronic underinvestment in work-force training and development, as well as better linking skill strategies to business needs.

In addition to ensuring that our existing public postsecondary education training capacity is visible and viable, tax incentives could be provided to businesses investing in staff training and development. Sector-specific centres of excellence, based on the success of the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences, could also be created.

None of this will be easy; in fact, it will demand a policy-making consensus seldom achieved in Canada. But it is doable.

Canada has reignited its ambition to get the economy moving. It must be paired with the right kinds of investment in talent and reskilling and upskilling to drive productivity.

The prize is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build people, as well as sustainable prosperity.

Home / Archive by category "Growing Talent for the 21st century"
September 11, 2025

Real Impact Starts Here

What’s On My Mind? With Pari Johnston.

There is a visceral buzz right now as thousands of students return to postsecondary campuses across the country. I should know – I am the proud parent of one with the same butterflies, hopes and dreams for my kid’s future as parents in Swift Current, Sherbrooke and Sault Ste. Marie.

As college leaders return to campus to welcome these students, there are big priorities and even bigger demands on the horizon.

Members of Parliament will soon return to the House of Commons to hash out a plan to deliver for Canadians – to expand and strengthen trade and export relationships, boost housing construction, invest in national defence, increase energy production, and support businesses to be more productive, among other priorities.

Making it happen will require a vision anchored in and coordinated across every community in the country. 

As a network, it’s time to showcase what we can do. 

The federal government has ambitions to build the strongest economy in the G7. To do so, Canada needs a highly skilled, agile and mobile workforce to build; strong and resilient businesses to grow; and mission-driven, place-based and hands-on innovation to solve our national challenges.

The plan starts on a college campus

  • Your faculty provide training for Canada’s young people, mid-career workers, newcomers and international students, new military recruits, and veterans transitioning into civilian jobs. 
  • Your state-of-the-art facilities equip the next generation of workers with the productivity-boosting skills needed to leverage technological innovations to build more and better. 
  • Your research labs, Centres collégiaux de transfert de technologies and Technology Access Centres develop the solutions that help businesses derisk, adapt, and commercialize new technologies that improve the lives of Canadians.

In short, you meet the moment.

Each time I visit a member college, CEGEP, institute, or polytechnic campus (and I’ve been to over 40 in 9 provinces since I started 18 months ago), I see how our institutions grow talent that delivers on the things we need most, drive new ideas that take us where we need to go, and make real differences in the lives of Canadians.

Join a Coordinated National Campaign

While my team and I continue to tell your story of impact in Ottawa, your on-the-ground expertise and community connections bring that story to life. 

This October, we’re hosting CICan’s inaugural Campus Connection Week – a coordinated engagement effort designed to highlight the work and impact of Canada’s public colleges, institutes, CEGEPs and polytechnics.

  • How to participate? This Fall, invite a Minister, Member of Parliament or Senator to campus – to tour a lab or training space, meet students, faculty, and campus leaders, speak to community partners and showcase the real work colleges and institutes do every day to train skilled workers, support businesses and help build strong, prosperous communities.  Learn more.

Canada has ambitious plans

At a time when the country is facing a deepening housing crisis, aging demographics and critical labour shortages, lagging productivity, rising security demands, and an urgent need to diversify our energy markets and supply, the leadership of our sector matters more than ever. These are not local or isolated issues – they are national in scope and demand coordinated solutions with all levels of government working together with key partners.

In every province and territory, Canada’s public colleges and institutes are strategically positioned to support these priorities and the big projects needed to respond. 

My mission for the coming academic year: that more Parliamentarians will see, hear, and understand that real impact starts here and make the necessary investments.

Training for a Strong and Secure Canada

In the context of Canada’s most pressing challenges, we need colleges and institutes to help build a nation. With strategy, skills, and innovation, our sector can help Build Canada, support Canada’s armed forces, expand Canada’s defence research capabilities, and grow a talent pipeline that will build the national infrastructure needed to deliver.

A strong and secure Canada is a skilled Canada.

Read CICan’s pre-budget submission

Home / Archive by category "Growing Talent for the 21st century"
April 15, 2025

Meeting Canada’s Moment

A federal election is two weeks away and Canada is at a turning point. The next government will shape Canada’s future, setting priorities on everything from housing and workforce development to resource development and global competitiveness.

For any government to succeed in delivering on its promises, Canada’s public colleges, institutes, CEGEPs and polytechnics are essential.

Coming Together When It Matters

At CICan, we work year-round with the federal government to ensure our members have what they need to thrive

That means bringing a unified national voice for the sector to Ottawa, working with the right people and partner organizations, shaping the right policies and investments, and implementing the right supports to empower our sector to continue doing what we do best: anticipating future needs, and delivering accessible, adaptable, and sustainable training, education, and applied research solutions across the country to meet Canada’s biggest challenges.

In everything we do, we bring our members together to share knowledge, drive innovation, align efforts to drive bold, lasting impact, and Election 2025 is a pivotal – and consequential – moment.

  • That’s the rationale behind our inaugural Leaders Summit, taking place next week. We’re bringing sector leaders – and partners – together at a critical moment for our country.

This national dialogue will ensure our institutions are ready to collaborate with whoever forms government – thinking proactively and strategically about what Canadians need from us, and how we can build coalitions of the willing and meet the moment together. 

Canada’s Challenges, Our Solutions

Supporting Team Canada – building, training, growing, making, and powering the jobs and solutions that drive this country – and public colleges, institutes, CEGEPs, and polytechnics go hand in hand. We are responsive, adaptable, deeply embedded in communities and working directly with employers in every part of the country.

Canada’s major parties have started outlining their election platform and promises, and nearly every key election issue connects to our work and the very challenges we help solve every day.

That’s why investing in our institutions is essential for lasting, meaningful impact. 

On Building and Making Things at Home

  • Construction and Homebuilding: There are currently close to 65,000 students training at colleges and institutes to become our future construction workers and engineering technicians, building better homes faster. Plus, they also offer over 300 pre-apprenticeship programs that train skilled construction workers Canada urgently needs. 
  • Food Supply: Colleges and institutes offer 164 agricultural programs – including crop sciences, farm management, and greenhouse technologies – that train workers and business owners to grow food for Canadians.  
  • Plus, through nearly 3,000 applied research projects, our sector works with Canada’s manufacturers and producers to improve the way we make and grow stuff in Canada, for Canadians. 878 of these projects were specifically tied to supporting Canada’s natural resource sector and agricultural sectors. 
  • Healthcare and Social Services: Close to 100,000 students are trained through over 1,100 college and institute programs in healthcare, including close to 300 nursing programs. With shifting demographics and an aging population, college and institute-led innovation in seniors’ care and social innovation is more important than ever.  
  • Defence and Public Safety: Colleges and institutes also play a crucial role in offering certified training for high-demand occupations within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and supporting veterans, reservists and their families transitioning to civilian careers.  And, close to 22,000 students are trained in security and protective services, including 14,901 in criminal justice and corrections. 

On Global Trade and the Economy

  • Supply Chains: Colleges and institutes keep Canada’s supply chains moving with over 1,500 manufacturing-related programs. We train the skilled workers—technicians, engineers, and specialists—who design, build, and maintain the systems that manufacture and move the goods that Canadians rely on every day.  
  • Transportation: From aerospace and automotive manufacturing to rail and trucking logistics, our job-ready graduates are essential to keeping supply chains efficient, smart, and resilient – and helping Canadian businesses get their products to market.  
  • Global Partnerships: Our sector builds capacity, shares best practices, and delivers consistent, high-quality training that connects Canadian employment-based education with the world. This work positions us as a leader in skills and workforce development, innovation, and sustainable development. As global markets shift, leveraging all of our assets and networks abroad will be key in market diversification.

On Productivity and Competitiveness

  • Resilient and Efficient Industry: With nearly 700 research labs across Canada, colleges and institutes partner with Canadian industries (especially SMEs) to develop innovative, made-in-Canada solutions.  
  • As tariffs impact business operations, college and institute applied research centres also help businesses pivot to new markets and source alternative components – and provide market analysis that ensures business can continue to provide the essential products and services Canadians depend on. 
  • Derisking Technology Adoption: These collaborations – with a focus on derisking new product, process and prototype development – give Canadian manufacturers a competitive edge, boost productivity, enhance automation, and help businesses navigate market shifts, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes.  
  • Digital Skills: As innovators, our institutions are always looking forward and central to building Canada’s digital infrastructure. We provide accessible and cutting-edge training and relevant industry-ready skills for the digital economy, while leveraging AI tools to transform programs to meet Canada’s digital imperative. 
  • Energy Production and Transformation: To meet Canada’s energy objectives, colleges and institutes lead in skills training to drive Canada’s energy transformation and grow our capacity in alternative energies like nuclear, solar, wind, and hydro, and to support existing industries to get energy to market. Federal investment in our institutions drives energy transformation while balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility. 
  • Natural Resources: We lead in skills training, research, and sustainable solutions in high-demand sectors like mining and critical mineral extraction and processing to support growing industries like semi-conductors and EV production.  

Ready to Support Team Canada

While the future is uncertain, CICan and its members are committed partners on Team Canada. As Canada’s most accessible public training network, we are Canadians’ safety net, ready to collaborate and support the priorities shaping Canada’s future.

This election is a key moment for Canada — and we’re here to meet it.

Read more

Home / Archive by category "Growing Talent for the 21st century"
April 1, 2025

Scaling Solutions, Building Our Workforce

What’s on My Mind? With Pari Johnston. 

Canada’s economy is being tested. Global instability, compounding tariffs, supply chain shocks, and aging demographics combined with labour shortages are creating real uncertainty for Canadian industries and workers alike. An economic pivot and rebuild is essential. I’ve written recently about how, at moments like these, coming together matters more than ever.

When the stakes are high, our greatest strength lies in working together with purpose. That’s what CICan’s national skills building programs are all about. 

They unite our sector. They bring together 135 public colleges, institutes, CEGEPs, and polytechnics across Canada to co-create solutions that respond to national challenges—while delivering real, local impact. 

Our Network. Our Strength. 

These programs work because of our members. Deeply rooted in their communities and directly connected with employers, they come together through national initiatives to share expertise, co-create solutions, and develop tools and training resources. These are then shared across our network—amplifying their impact and allowing institutions to adapt them to meet local workforce needs. 

Through this collective effort, our members deliver hands-on training, build new partnerships, and prepare learners at all stages for in-demand jobs.  

Together, we’re: 

And we’re not stopping there. Whether it’s aligning training with labour market data, helping newcomers enter the workforce, or greening trades education, our programs support a stronger, more agile economy. 

The Advantage to Canadians 

The impact of these programs extends far beyond campuses. They help Canadians land good jobs. They give small businesses in rural, remote, Northern and urban communities access to job-ready talent. They help sectors adapt, grow, and compete. 

In short: they make Canada more resilient. 

Because when we train and upskill more workers, Canadian industries grow and adapt. When we respond in real-time to emerging labour market needs, communities survive and thrive. And when we act together, we position Canada to meet the moment—and lead into the future. 

Want to Get Involved? 

For our members, there are already great ways to engage. You can take advantage of existing resources—like our free collection of 200+ virtual simulations for healthcare training, developed by educators across Canada. You can also apply to offer our new upskilling microcredentials, co-developed by 12 member institutions and 28 industry partners to help strengthen high-growth sectors in your communities.  

Don’t forget to check our Perspectives newsletter for regular updates on the ways to participate and benefit from CICan’s national programs. 

Canada needs what public colleges, institutes, CEGEPs, and polytechnics do best. And through our national programs, we’re showing what’s possible when we do it together.