Oct. 24, 2014 – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) issued a report entitled: A Battle We Can’t Afford to Lose: Getting Young Canadians from Education to Employment. Across the country, there is a growing understanding that closing the skills gap means better aligning our education and training systems to our labour market needs. For Canadian youth, it is essential the education or training they get is relevant to the job market they will enter.
First, they need to know where the jobs will be. Second, they need to know what those jobs will be so they can plan their education and training accordingly. Third, they need education that is not just job training but equips them to be adaptable. Employers do not always provide clear and strong signals to youth. With this report, the CCC investigates the state of three key factors affecting young Canadians’ entry into the labour market: labour market information, career decision-making and work-integrated learning and recommends that government, education providers and businesses work together much more closely to mitigate skills mismatching and to ensure there is a successful transition from education to employment.That needs to change, and this report explores how to improve it.
At every step of this discussion on youth, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has been engaged with government and stakeholders. With members in both the employer and educator communities, the CCC brings a demand-meets-supply perspective to the need for better labour market information and improving connections between business and post-secondary education.
