Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 3128 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA ASSOCIATION CANADIENNE DE LA TECHNOLOGIE DE L’INFORMATION ITAC on Talent | Page 3 THE VOICE OF THE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) SECTOR IN CANADA | www.itac.ca Launch and continue investing in experiential learning A powerful tool to combat the knowledge gap and boost employability of Canada’s domestic workforce is through experiential learning opportunities such as co-ops and paid internships. These opportunities pair industry with young talent, ensuring people have the right skills to succeed: skills like collaboration and teamwork, which were recently identified in a Business Council of Canada survey as key skills for entry-level employees (other skills in high demand were communication, problem solving and people skills).10 Dave McKay, CEO of the Bank of Canada, helped launch a task force through the Business Council of Canada to investigate the use of experiential and work-integrated learning. Passionate about this approach to learning, he referred to it in a recent speech as “how people learn today. This is a hands-on generation. They like to experiment, to challenge and to share.” He also commented on its ability to help improve economic access for minority groups such as Indigenous peoples.11 McKay has also stated that “Expanding access to experiential learning is a national challenge that can be addressed only when universities, colleges, business and government work together.12 This sentiment has been echoed by Governor General David Johnston, who stated that he “wouldn’t start a university if it didn’t have experiential learning for every student.” With a wealth of academic experience, the Governor General’s emphasis bolsters the ICT industry’s views that experiential learning is an essential component of creating the workforce of tomorrow. ITAC applauds the Government’s recent contribution to such programs—including investing $73 million over four years to support experiential learning. More data needed One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to close the skills gap is for the federal Government to collect better labour market data about ICT. Proper data enables universities, colleges, and specialized private programs (such as BTM and CareerMash) to see where growing demand areas are, and begin educating workforces accordingly. This will ultimately decrease Canada’s reliance on temporary foreign workers (see next section, below). Currently, data collected about ICT and other technology fields are grossly outdated. One example is Canada’s National Occupation Codes (NOC). These codes provide key data about employment in the industry—but because they are outdated, a number of professionals are “pigeon-holed” in broader employment categories. This makes it harder for government and decision-makers to pinpoint vacancies within the workforce where programs should be developed. Solving the Problem Internationally To ensure Canada remains competitive, our country needs regular access to the best and brightest minds: some who are born outside Canadian borders, and others who are Canadian-born but internationally trained. The ability to benefit from this pool of talent requires creating smoother processes for accessing international talent, and for welcoming back homegrown talent. Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) According to a recent Global Talent Flows report by the World Bank, Canada is one of the top four destination countries in the world for high skilled migrant workers.13 Indeed, these high-skilled workers are often uniquely qualified and sought- after by other nations, who fight hard to attract and retain these people. Currently, more than 350,000 immigrants are employed in ICT jobs in Canada—with 4% being TFWs.14 TFWs are critical for Canada’s technology sector because, often, these people offer the best talent for special projects. For example, if the Bank of Canada was the victim of a cyber attack, it would want the best engineer available to rebuild its security. That person may be an Israeli citizen who specializes in bolstering cyber protections for banks, and/or a member of what’s known in the technology business as a “fly-in 10 An Agile Future Through Work Integrated Learning - May 2, 2016 http://thebusinesscouncil.ca/publications/davemckaywil/ 11 http://thebusinesscouncil.ca/publications/davemckaywil/ 12 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/experiential- learning-agile-employees-getting-our-students-on-the-right-path/article29825807/ 13 Global Talent Flows 14 ICTC Digital Economy Talent Supply: Immigration Stream, 2016. ITAC encourages Government to continue investing in digital literacy and upskilling; and to launch its experiential program shortly, so that Canadians can begin reaping the benefits of experiential learning. To prepare Canadian students for the workforce of tomorrow, ITAC recommends that the Department of Employment and Social Development Canada works with Statistics Canada to collect detailed, granular labour market data about ICT. This includes updating the NOCs every two years, to ensure the most useful and complete data sets are available.