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Labour market and education ministers release information toolkit sharing best practices in aligning skills with the needs of the economy

TORONTO, December 11, 2015 — Provincial and territorial education and labour market ministers advanced their common agenda today with the release of a toolkit designed to promote better alignment between skills and education systems and the needs of the labour market. Titled a “Toolkit of Promising Practices,” the document represents the fulfillment of a provincial and territorial ministerial commitment made at the Skills for the Future symposium held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in July 2014.

“The Toolkit is a concrete, practical step toward coordinating education systems with the demands of the economy,” said Mr. Sam Hamad, Quebec Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity and co-chair of the Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM). “It highlights innovative programs and initiatives that provinces and territories have undertaken to develop the skills needed in the 21st century. By sharing information on best practices, we are able to learn from one another about how to address shared educational and labour market challenges.”

The Toolkit organizes initiatives into four broad themes:

  • Upgrading the Skills of Canadians
  • Aligning Secondary Education Programming to Labour Market Demand
  • Aligning Postsecondary Education Programming to Labour Market Demand
  • Supporting the Labour Market Attachment of Target Populations

The diversity of the initiatives shows the variety of challenges that the provinces and territories face. As different as those challenges are, they also reveal commonalities that form the basis for sharing practices. “Each province and territory has unique demographics and unique economic circumstances. They all have to find their own way to make education and training systems suit those circumstances,” added the Honourable Hal Perry, Minister of Education, Early Learning, and Culture for Prince Edward Island and Chair of CMEC. “But there are also experiences they have in common — such as maintaining a competitive workforce in an increasingly knowledge-based economy — that allow them to learn from one another. The Toolkit goes a long way to promote that learning.”

About CMEC

Founded in 1967, CMEC is the collective voice of Canada’s ministers of education. It provides leadership in education at the pan-Canadian and international levels and contributes to the exercise of the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces and territories over education. For more information, visit us at www.cmec.ca.

About the FLMM

FLMM was established in 1983 as an intergovernmental forum to strengthen cooperation and strategic thinking on the labour market priorities of the provinces, the territories, and Canada. For more information, visit us at www.flmm-fmmt.ca.

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Information

Colin Bailey
Director, Communications
CMEC
Cell: 416-938-1911
Tel.: 416-962-8100, ext. 259
E-mail: c.bailey@cmec.ca
Twitter: @CCMEC

François Montminy-Munyan
Director
FLMM Secretariat
Tel.: 418-646-0425, ext. 43316
E-mail: francois.montminy-munyan@mess.gouv.qc.ca

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Ministers and Key Partners Chart Path Forward for Education and Skills in Canada

Charlottetown, July 10, 2014 – Education and labour market ministers of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories joined together in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, this week with more than 200 key business and labour leaders, academics, representatives of student organizations, and other stakeholders to chart the path forward on aligning education and skills training systems with the evolving needs of Canadian labour markets.

Organized jointly by provinces and territories to meet the July 2013 request of Canada’s Premiers, Skills for the Future included Canadian and international panelists brought together to share innovative ideas that connect people to jobs, today and to prepare for the future.

Provinces and territories are committed to ensuring Canadians have the skills they need to succeed in a global economy and today have taken a critical step forward by meeting together to define a more unified approach. Ministers were united in recognizing the importance of working collaboratively with stakeholders to achieve balance between the immediate needs of employers and the long-term needs of a prosperous economy and healthy society.

Inspired by what they heard during the symposium, ministers released a joint declaration today announcing three principles that will form the basis of future action:

  • Education and training must empower Canadians to acquire the skills they need for success in the job market in a flexible and dynamic environment.
  • Partnerships and alignment with business, labour, education, and training providers are key to ensuring synergy between education and skills training systems and Canada’s labour markets.
  • Access to accurate, relevant, and timely labour market and education data is essential to support Canadians to make smart career choices, as well as enable government and business to make evidence-based decisions in planning for the future.

“The Skills for the Future symposium has served as a catalyst for collaboration among provinces and territories on the skills and training needs of Canadians in the 21st century,” said the Honourable Jeff Johnson, co-chair of the event, Chair of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, and Minister of Education for Alberta. “As we heard from national and international experts at the symposium, our education systems are the foundation of Canada’s future economic and social success. Key for students, government, and business, and job seekers will be timely communication of labour-market information which can aid in the development of appropriate programs and policies.”

“Provinces and territories are committed to strong education and training systems that respond effectively to the labour-market conditions of each region of our country,” said the Honourable Allen Roach, co-chair of the event, co-chair of the Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM), and Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning for Prince Edward Island. “Provincial and territorial labour market ministers look forward to working with their education colleagues, business, labour, and all those who have a stake in Canada’s economy to help every Canadian who is looking for work find it, and every employer has the workers needed for success.”

The outcomes of the Skills for the Future symposium will help inform discussions at the federal- provincial/territorial meeting of the Forum of Labour Market Ministers taking place tomorrow.

Provincial and territorial education and labour market ministers will report back to Canada’s Premiers in advance of their meeting in August. Ministers will also recommend to Canada’s premiers that provinces and territories reconvene to ensure progress on the actions outlined in the joint declaration as well as to continue dialogue to determine next action steps.

Information

Colin Bailey
Director, Communications
Council of Minister of Education, Canada (CMEC)
Tel.: 416-962-8100, ext. 259
Cell: 416-938-1911
E-mail: c.bailey@cmec.ca
Twitter: @CCMEC

Amber Caseley
Senior Communications Officer
Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning
Prince Edward Island
Tel: 902-620-3774
E-mail: amcaseley@gov.pe.ca

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Joint Declaration of Provincial and Territorial Education and Labour Market Ministers

Skills for the Future

Provincial and territorial education and labour market ministers will ensure Canadians are equipped for employment success and full participation in society. Improved employment success of Canadians and enhanced responsiveness to employer needs across the country, now and into the future, will strengthen economic competitiveness.

Skills for the Future brought together education and labour market ministers from the provinces and territories with leaders from business, labour, academia, student organizations, and other stakeholders to engage in a dialogue on promising practices in skills training and consider innovative ways to align education and skills training systems, and labour markets to better respond to the needs of both individuals and businesses.

Provincial and territorial ministers know that their symposium is only one step in the ongoing work that must take place to ensure that Canadians can gain the skills they need and Canadian labour markets can respond effectively to the quickening pace of change that marks the world of work in the 21st century.

Provincial and territorial education and labour market ministers have therefore agreed to joint efforts to ensure that provincial and territorial skills training and education systems continue to innovate and that our economy remains among the most competitive in the world.

Three core principles will anchor the pathway forward:

  • Pathways to employment success
    Education and skills training systems must provide a variety of flexible ways for Canadians to acquire the knowledge and skills they need for success in the job market.
  • Partnerships to strengthen skills alignment
    Partnerships and alignment with business, labour, education, and training providers are key to ensuring synergy between education and skills training systems and Canada’s labour markets.
  • Informed choices
    Access to accurate, relevant, and timely labour market and education information is essential to support Canadians to make smart career choices, as well as enable government and business to make evidence-based decisions in planning for the future.

The following pan-Canadian activities will be initiated as part of the ongoing efforts of all provinces and territories to align education and skills training with labour market needs so that all Canadians have the skills they need to succeed:

  • Building on the success of Skills for the Future, provincial and territorial ministers will put together a toolkit of promising practices that will assist in the alignment of skills and education systems with the needs of the labour market. The innovative new ideas will be accessible to all jurisdictions. Ministers will present their conclusions to Canada`s Premiers.
  • To support skills alignment and improved labour market data, partnerships will be expanded to ensure accurate and timely information exists for all stakeholders. Areas of common interest with the federal government on how best to support labour market data collection and analysis will be explored.
  • Provincial and territorial education and labour market ministers will recommend to Canada’s premiers that provinces and territories reconvene to ensure progress and measure success on both initiatives as well as to continue dialogue to determine next action steps.

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Education and Labour Market Ministers to Host Skills Symposium

CHARLOTTETOWN, July 2, 2014 – Provincial and territorial education and labour market ministers will host a skills symposium, July 9‒10, in Charlottetown. “Skills for the Future” will be an interactive forum of international and Canadian speakers and expert panelists that will engage participants in discussions on promising practices related to skills and education.

The symposium will provide an opportunity for business and labour leaders, academics, student organizations, and other stakeholders to discuss ways to ensure that all Canadians have the skills and training they need to compete in the global economy.

The symposium will be co-chaired by Alberta’s Minister of Education, Jeff Johnson, Chair of the Council of Ministers Education, Canada (CMEC), and Prince Edward Island’s Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning, Allen Roach, Co-Chair of the Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM).

A press conference will be held on the closing day of the symposium.

Media program

Date: Thursday, July 10, 2014
Time: 4:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. ADT
Location: Delta Prince Edward Hotel, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Details: Photo opportunity and press conference with Canadian education and labour market ministers
Media Registration: 3:30 p.m. ADT, Chandler Room, Delta Prince Edward Hotel
To join the press conference by telephone, please contact Amber Caseley (see contact information below).

Media Contacts:

Amber Caseley
Senior Communications
Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning
Tel: 902-620-3774
amcaseley@gov.pe.ca

Colin Bailey
Director, Communications
Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC)
Cell: 416-938-1911
Tel: 416-962-8100, ext. 259
c.bailey@cmec.ca
Twitter: @CCMEC

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Education and Labour Market Ministers to Host Skills Symposium

CHARLOTTETOWN, May 23, 2014 – Provincial and territorial education and labour market ministers will be hosting a major pan-Canadian symposium on skills this summer, July 9-10, 2014, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

The symposium was requested by premiers at the July 2013 meeting of the Council of the Federation (COF) as part of their commitment to ensure that all Canadians have the skills and training they need to compete in the global economy.

Skills for the Future will bring together government, business, labour, academic leaders, and student groups to consider innovative promising practices being put in place in Canada and other countries to address the skills and training challenges of the 21st century.

The invitation-only event will include presentations from Canadian and international experts as well as a variety of interactive panels to facilitate dialogue among participants. Keynote addresses will be given by:

  • Andreas Schleicher, Deputy Director for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the OECD's Secretary-General; and
  • Alex Usher, President of Higher Education Strategy Associates.

Skills for the Future will provide a unique opportunity for stakeholders to discuss current and emerging issues and to identify opportunities for increased collaboration across sectors.

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Information

Colin Bailey
Director, Communications
Council of Minister of Education, Canada (CMEC)
Tel.: 416-962-8100, ext. 259
E-mail: c.bailey@cmec.ca
Twitter: @CCMEC

Mary Hunter
Director Forum of Labour Market Ministers Secretariat
Tel.: 902-620-3940
E-mail: mehunter@gov.pe.ca