Navigating Workforce Development with a Shifting Learner Profile
- February 7, 2024
For the last decade, experts have consistently cautioned about the potential loss of Canadian jobs to automation, digitization and artificial intelligence. The pandemic only accelerated that trend, forever changing what our working world looks like.
As policy makers and leaders across this country look to shape the future, the focus must be on the need for upskilling and reskilling to keep up with job market demands and emerging technologies. Today, we are seeing a growing need for skills in fields such as data analysis, digital marketing, programming, and cloud computing. On top of that, Dell’s Institute for the Future (IFTF) forecasts that 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t been invented yet – highlighting how the traditional career trajectory will continue to change.
The Rise of Lifelong Learning
The evolving job market underscores the need for a highly educated workforce, responsive to specific talent and skill demands. Working professionals are realizing the importance of employment outcomes and lifelong learning, seeking avenues to adapt their skillsets to stay relevant and competitive. In fact, HolonIQ predicts that by 2040 it is expected that only 59% of lifetime learning will take place before the age of 20 (down from 81% in 2018), meaning that these modern learners will continue to undertake education, training, reskilling and upskilling throughout their lives.
When we work with our partners and analyze market opportunities for new programming, we find that modern learners are typically organized into three profiles, looking for:
- Career Change – switch to pursue a new career path (ex. a marketing professional develops new skills and training in data analysis and transitions to become a business analyst)
- Career Entry – work in a new field which requires an entry-to-practice program (ex. a young professional is drawn to more impactful work supporting others and enters a Master of Social Work program to provide therapeutic and mental health support in their community)
- Career Advancement – accelerate in their current occupation or field (ex. a clinician is looking to move up into a management role and understand how a deeper understanding of Health Informatics can lead to technological and organizational change in the healthcare system)
The Role of Post-secondary Education
As lifelong learning has grown, the education and training sector has welcomed some innovation, including the exploration of skills-focused programs, industry-led offerings and micro-credentials. However, many professions, ranging from registered nurses and social workers to software engineers and financial analysts, require qualifications obtained through more comprehensive programs.
Canadian universities and colleges can seize the opportunity and play a crucial role in equipping these modern learners with the skills they need to pursue well-paying careers while addressing the demands of employers. Historically, this audience was grouped under “non-traditional students” and served by schools of Continuing Education or Professional Development rather than faculties. We recommend purpose-built programs – either modifying an existing on-campus program or creating a new program – that meet the flexible needs of this modern learner.
Universities and colleges should reimagine their program offerings, delivering high-quality online, hybrid and distance learning experiences that meet industry demand. By combining the expertise of faculty, the flexibility of online learning, and the insights of industry partners, institutions can shape a future-ready workforce.
Addressing Industry-Specific Challenges
Each industry faces its own unique challenges in adapting to this shifting economy. Government agencies, industry associations, and other development groups are advocating to employers and to post-secondary institutions to close skills gaps and address labour shortages across in-demand areas and in rural and remote communities. They are asking for new programs that expand enrolment and graduate more skilled workers.
These associations or government groups typically ask a university or college to respond to these challenges by creating a program in their catchment area, serving a local population only in their immediate community. We believe that if those same universities and colleges offered those programs online, the impact in the workforce goes beyond their region and reaches working professionals and learners across the country.
Some industry associations are already seeing the benefits from this approach. The University of Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE) brings together Canadian universities, industry and government to offer a M.Eng. Degree program to help today’s nuclear workforce – offering a hybrid and distance learning option for those in remote communities. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), University of Toronto, and Michener Institute of Education offer a Bachelor of Science Physician Assistant degree (BScPA) as a professional, second-entry program with online learning paired with residential, in-person blocks – all designed to maximize rural training for Physician Assistants throughout Ontario.
As we navigate this shifting economy, it is imperative that universities and colleges realize their opportunity in preparing modern learners across communities in this country. By harnessing the power of innovative programming, institutions and industry partners can play a vital role in shaping a workforce that is agile, adaptable, and equipped for success in the digital age.