Canada’s digital economy: leave no one behind

In the space of a decade, the digital revolution has changed how we consume, communicate, and collaborate. Already, more than 83 per cent of Canadian jobs require the daily use of a computer. How are we equipping Canadian workers to handle this shifting digital landscape? The issue is clearly top of mind for the Government of Canada: one of the five themes it has framed to advance its domestic and international priorities as it takes up the G7 presidency in 2018 is “Preparing for jobs of the future.” As jobs at every skill level increasingly require digital literacy, our most disadvantaged will be hardest hit. Last year the Government of Quebec created the Conseil consultatif sur l’économie et l’innovation (CCEI) to examine how to make this digital transformation inclusive for all. Its report contains sound recommendations that should be applied nationwide—and that put higher education front and centre. Improve adult literacy First, we must develop the functional literacy of workers most vulnerable to automation and evolving technologies. Some 49 per cent of Canadian adults don’t have Level 3 literacy, which the OECD considers necessary to hold a job in a developed economy. Nearly two thirds of Quebec’s manufacturing sector workers have only Level 2 or lower. For them, learning new job skills is difficult. The CCEI’s first recommendation is to adapt a suite of interactive multimedia tools that helps improve reading and writing, numeracy and problem-solving skills. The tools, developed at Concordia University, are already a success in Montreal schools. Their rollout in Kenya garnered UNESCO’s 2017 King Sejong Literacy Prize. Adapting these tools for adults and adopting them broadly across Quebec will set a global precedent in public education, and much more. Attaining Level 3 literacy increases a Quebec worker’s career earnings by over $200,000. And studies link higher literacy to increased engagement in civic life and better health, housing and education. These are benefits that carry over through generations. Expand paid apprenticeships We must also create tighter ties between industry and education. The CCEI recommends a system of 12-18 month apprenticeships run through our college level Cégeps. These shorter work-study programs will help employers fill labour shortages sooner. Shorter, paid programs will also encourage participation among at-risk employees already struggling to make ends meet and citizens on social assistance. They may need to retool more than once as the digital revolution rolls out in a gradual, steady manner, more akin to climate change than a ‘technological tsunami.’ Educate for flexibility In January, the Government of Canada announced the CanCode initiative, which will provide nearly one million K-12 students with basic coding skills. Yes, coding is already becoming automated. But if students are to understand how new technologies can be applied to solve real-world problems, they will need the 21st-century equivalent of knowing how their calculator works. At universities, we need to educate our citizens to be well rounded. Broadening curriculum requirements is one approach. We are also designing curricula to develop the ‘4 Cs’—critical thinking, clear communication, collaboration and concentration—skills that employers increasingly seek as change accelerates. Expand co-op and internship placements No matter what universities teach, many employers still view on-the-job experience as the best sign a candidate possesses the skills that managers want. So, in addition to cégep-based apprenticeships, industry needs to work with universities to facilitate more of the workplace exposure it prizes in graduates. Employers who open co-op and paid internship placements can help students of all ages and backgrounds find clearer paths toward their future. Such placements are especially important for retaining immigrants and the talented international students our universities attract. As our population ages, Canada needs them as much as they need Canada. Today, the more fortunate among us hold life-changing technologies in the palm of our hand. But if we reach out to Canada’s least equipped for the digital economy, a more prosperous future for all is within our grasp. Alan Shepard is president of Montreal’s Concordia University. Guylaine Beaudry is Concordia’s vice-provost, digital strategy and university librarian. The Hill Times

Canada’s digital economy: leave no one behind

The more fortunate among us hold life-changing technologies in the palm of our hand. But if we reach out to Canada’s least equipped for the digital economy, a more prosperous future for all is within our grasp.

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Canada’s digital economy: leave no one behind

The more fortunate among us hold life-changing technologies in the palm of our hand. But if we reach out to Canada’s least equipped for the digital economy, a more prosperous future for all is within our grasp.

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