Federal government launches new agency to address digital shifts in job market

The federal government has committed $225 million over four years for a new Future Skills Centre at Ryerson University, plus $75 million annually in subsequent years. The job training agency will be operated by the university alongside the Conference Board of Canada and Blueprint ADE, and will focus on preparing Canadians for changes to the job market as a result of digitization and disruptive technology. The arms-length agency will fund skills-development projects across Canada and partner with provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous governments and for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. In the same announcement, the government named 15 members of its Future Skills Council, which will advise the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour on national and regional issues related to emerging in-demand skills and workforce trends. The Council will be co-chaired by Valerie Walker, Executive Director of the Business/ Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) and Dr. Thierry Karsenti, Director of the Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la formation et la profession enseignante (CRIFPE).