Part of The Powering Canada's Future Series presented by
Part of The Future of Work Series presented by Mitacs Canada Future Skills Centre

Spotlight on Skills Development for Canada’s Future Innovators

WorkInnovationTalent
Published on
Eirene SeiradakiKaren ChadDamien Silès
Ibrahim Gedeon / Chief Technology Officer - TELUS
Eirene Seiradaki / Director of Research Partnerships - Borealis AI & RBC Institute of Research
Karen Chad / Vice-President, Research - University of Saskatchewan
Damien Silès / Executive Director - Quartier de l’Innovation

As the digital economy moves forward with velocity, Canada’s current and future workforce must be prepared to accelerate innovation at school, in our communities and at work.

While digital literacy is one blanket ability that our future innovators must be equipped with, soft skills like collaboration, resilience and emotional intelligence are also necessary for success in the future. Skills development programs from kindergarten through to post-secondary education and lifelong learning will ground Canada’s innovative capacity. 

In this Spotlight, learn what skills Canada’s future innovators will need and how they can acquire them to solve Canada’s complex challenges, contribute ground-breaking research and drive innovation forward.

Takeaways

  1. Flexibility, digital literacy and the ability to listen are among the skills needed to drive innovation in Canada.
  2. The government and academic institutions should partner on initiatives and programs to enable upskilling and reskilling of our current workforce to prepare for the future of work.
  3. Artificial intelligence will create more opportunities for employees to focus on cognitive functions, managerial goals and skills like critical thinking and creativity.
  4. Canadian youth should engage skills development programs from kindergarten through to post-secondary education and consider volunteerism as a pathway towards leadership.
Watch or Read the Experts' Full Interviews
Cultivating Entrepreneurship at Work Ibrahim Gedeon Chief Technology Officer - TELUS “Every person in every role should be able to use AI tools an innovate with them.” Eirene Seiradaki Skills for the AI Generation Eirene Seiradaki Director of Research Partnerships - Borealis AI & RBC Institute of Research “Employers should help cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset.” Karen Chad Unleashing Youth Potential Karen Chad Vice-President, Research - University of Saskatchewan “Canada needs programs for lifelong learning, reskilling and retooling.” Damien Silès Building Bridges Between Innovation and Industry Damien Silès Executive Director - Quartier de l’Innovation “The first thing is to be able to listen to people and work with them”
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