FLMM/CMEC Joint Symposium on Skills

Provincial and territorial education and labour market ministers will ensure Canadians are equipped for employment success and full participation in society. Improved employment success of Canadians and enhanced responsiveness to employer needs across the country, now and into the future, will strengthen economic competitiveness.

Skills for the Future brought together education and labour market ministers from the provinces and territories with leaders from business, labour, academia, student organizations, and other stakeholders to engage in a dialogue on promising practices in skills training and consider innovative ways to align education and skills training systems, and labour markets to better respond to the needs of both individuals and businesses.

Provincial and territorial ministers know that their symposium is only one step in the ongoing work that must take place to ensure that Canadians can gain the skills they need and Canadian labour markets can respond effectively to the quickening pace of change that marks the world of work in the 21st century.

Provincial and territorial education and labour market ministers have therefore agreed to joint efforts to ensure that provincial and territorial skills training and education systems continue to innovate and that our economy remains among the most competitive in the world.

Three core principles will anchor the pathway forward:

   
• Pathways to employment success
     Education and skills training systems must provide a variety of flexible ways for Canadians to acquire the knowledge and skills they need for success in the job market.
     
     
   
• Partnerships to strengthen skills alignment
     Partnerships and alignment with business, labour, education, and training providers are key to ensuring synergy between education and skills training systems and Canada’s labour markets.
     
     
   
• Informed choices
     Access to accurate, relevant and timely labour market and education information is essential to support Canadians to make smart career choices, as well as enable government and business to make evidence-based decisions in planning for the future.

The following pan-Canadian activities will be initiated as part of the ongoing efforts of all provinces and territories to align education and skills training with labour market needs so that all Canadians have the skills they need to succeed:

   
• Building on the success of Skills for the Future, provincial and territorial ministers will put together a toolkit of promising practices that will assist in the alignment of skills and education systems with the needs of the labour market. The innovative new ideas will be accessible to all jurisdictions. Ministers will present their conclusions to Canada`s Premiers.
     
     
   
• To support skills alignment and improved labour market data, partnerships will be expanded to ensure accurate and timely information exists for all stakeholders. Areas of common interest with the federal government on how best to support labour market data collection and analysis will be explored.
     
     
   
• Provincial and territorial education and labour market ministers will recommend to Canada’s premiers that provinces and territories reconvene to ensure progress and measure success on both initiatives as well as to continue dialogue to determine next action steps.