The Future Skills Centre (FSC) landed in Sudbury on Nov. 14 for a session at Collège Boréal about the future of work in Canada.
Organized by the Conference Board of Canada, the session was part of a nationwide consultation conducted by the research and innovation centre.
The theme of the consultation is What skills do we need?
The FSC is looking to bring together stakeholders in training, skills, and employment in the Greater Sudbury area and throughout the country to gain local perspectives on issues in the workforce.
The consultation, which took the format of a roundtable discussion, was not open to the media. It was one of two sessions that will take place at the bilingual college and about 100 participants are expected to take part.
In a press release, Collège Boréal and FSC indicated that their goal is to prepare Canadians for employment success. They want to explore the qualifications needed by tomorrow's workforce.
The results of these consultations will be used to inform the centre's future investments in research and innovation.
“Collège Boréal is pleased to welcome to its Sudbury campus so many regional stakeholders who see the question of the future of work as an opportunity for our economy and not as a threat to our communities,” said Daniel Giroux, president of the college, in the release.
"I thank the Future Skills Centre for choosing Boréal as the host for the Ontario sessions of its consultation and I hope that it will lead to fruitful discussions."
The Future Skills Centre is a research organization with their headquarters in Toronto. They aim to assess and develop the skills Canadians need to thrive in the workforce.
The centre takes part in network-building, research, testing and evaluating innovative projects, and mobilizing knowledge. They partner with Ryerson University and the Conference Board of Canada, a not-for-profit applied research organization.
“We are thrilled to be in Sudbury today, and thankful for the diverse stakeholders that are with us to share their opinions,” said Pedro Barata, executive director of FSC.
“We want to make sure that we are truly a pan-Canadian organization that addresses the regional differences in labour market challenges. This Tour is a good way to start learning directly from the local communities.”
