Human Resource Development Canada's Mechanisms and Support for Development of Skills in Canada

Human Resource Development Canada's Mechanisms and Support for Development of Skills in Canada - Canada

Employment services and active labour market measures in Canada are influenced by its federal structure. Canadian labour market policy is developed co-operatively at the federal, provincial (10 provinces) and territorial (3 territories) levels. Following the introduction of the Employment Insurance (EI) Act in 1996, the Government of Canada made a labour market proposal to the provinces and territories offering them responsibility for EI-funded active measures. Labour Market Development Agreements (LMDAs) were negotiated bilaterally with each province/territory. Provinces/territories took on the level of responsibility and authority that best suited their needs. These LMDAs form the basis for skills development programs and services based on the identified needs of each province.

Learning and skills development is one of the key priorities of the Government of Canada. In the Fall of 1999, through the federal, provincial and territorial cooperative efforts of the Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM), Canada's Skills Agenda for the 21st Century was produced.

The Skills Agenda identified several key priorities encompassing the following two priorities:

In order to elaborate on the progress being made toward reaching these identified priorities it is important to present the HRDC programs and services supporting these goals including identification of the need to develop new on-line services.

As a nation, Canada is striving to make lifelong skills development a priority. As a critical starting point on the path of lifelong learning, HRDC provides incentives for Canadians to save for post-secondary education through the Canadian Education Savings and Grant Program. Financial assistance to post-secondary students in need is available through Canada Student Loans.

Employment Benefit and Support Measures are also a means of negotiated financial support available to eligible individuals seeking to further their skill and work experience developmental needs. The basic concept of the Skills Development Employment Benefit is to support individuals in need of financial assistance to take the training they believe will help them get jobs. This approach is a change from previous direct support of training institutions (buying blocks of seats in various educational institutions) to a client driven approach. The client, using labour market information, chooses their training path. This approach has increased the likelihood of the client completing the requested training as it meets their self-defined skill development and employment related needs. Targeted Wage subsidies are also another employment benefit which enables employers to hire individuals who face barriers to employment; and to assist individuals experiencing difficulty in finding work to benefit from on-the-job work experience

Additionally, HRDC's Office of Learning Technologies enables Canadians to use learning technologies in order to develop new knowledge and improve skills thereby working towards closing the digital divide. With a view to the future, this program encompasses looking at new practices in learning technologies by examining the needs of the educational sector, and conducting large-scale research studies. Learning Technologies in the workplace is being examined as well as the benefits of e-learning

Priority #2: Access to a full range of labour market information to help Canadians make decisions about learning and skills development

The Government of Canada has committed to becoming a model user of information technology and the Internet. It is anticipated that by the year 2004, Canadian citizens will be able to access all government information and services on-line.

In keeping with this aim, extensive HRDC Labour Market information is available to Canadians on-line to help them understand the duties, skills, interests, aptitudes, education requirements and working settings for occupations in the Canadian labour market through the National Occupational Classification (NOC) System.

We’re also reaching out to individual Canadians in many other ways to provide information to assist in assessing and directing their skill development needs via web sites such as CanLearn, WorkinfoNET, Electronic Labour Exchange and local labour market information sitesTechnological change and globalisation have brought about a transformation of the economy and of regional labour markets. In response to such increasing change, Sector Councils have developed which involve the participation of employers, unions, professional associations and educators. This collaborative approach enhances learning systems and support for national skill strategies.

Sectoral and Occupation Studies are also being produced which detail the knowledge and skill requirements within a given sector and its future growth potential as an additional tool in directing skills development planning of Canadians

All of these efforts work in harmony to support increased access to high quality secondary education and the necessary information to make on-going skill development and employment related decisions for both employers and workers in Canada. The desired result is informed Canadian citizens capable of responding to change through increased skills development access and choice to support them along their desired path of employment and life.

Ultimately, the overall benefit to society is increased productivity generated by a skilled workforce leading to an overall increase in the standard of living for all Canadians.

EMP/SKILLS - Skills and Employability Department