Business and education leaders recommend work-integrated learning for skills development

Members of the Business/Higher Education Roundtable addressed an open letter to Finance Minister Bill Morneau, in which they assert that the best way to prepare Canadian youth for impending changes in the skills economy is through work-integrated learning (WIL) strategies. The letter reminds Morneau that in the 2018 federal budget, he highlighted the need to support “new and innovative approaches to skills development.” While congratulating the Liberal government for investing in initiatives like the Student Work Placement Program, the drafters of the letter contend that the time has come “to make Canada the world leader in WIL.” They recommend several actions, including the creation of a National WIL Strategy and a National Taskforce to implement it. Signatories to the letter include twenty-five heads of organizations representing various industrial sectors, business associations, and post-secondary networks. Among them are John Manley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada, and Paul Davidson, President of Universities Canada.