Spotlight on Skills Development for Canada’s Future Innovators

Published on January 19, 2021

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

Flexibility, digital literacy and the ability to listen are among the skills needed to drive innovation in Canada.
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.
Artificial intelligence will create more opportunities for employees to focus on cognitive functions, managerial goals and skills like critical thinking and creativity.
Canadian youth should engage skills development programs from kindergarten through to post-secondary education and consider volunteerism as a pathway towards leadership.