The Five Key Insights
The Calgary Skills Development Framework is the outcome of four years of community engagement and research by diverse partners. This work identified five core insights to guide the learning system.
Insight 1: It’s a Community Challenge
Eighty percent of Calgary’s 30,870 current certified and non-certified learning programs are outside the provincial domain. The vast majority being delivered by Calgary-based organizations. Yet, no mechanisms exist to align community priorities and resources. Aligning these priorities and resources requires community-level leadership.
Insight 2: Demand for Adaptive Capacity
Employers demand people with the capacity to adapt in times of uncertainty. This adaptive capacity is rooted in an ability to learn faster and better than others. This requires a systematic approach to empower Calgarians to develop both the skills and belief they can prosper. However, today’s learning system is not optimized to meet these demands. Developing adaptive capacity is a critical community priority.
Insight 3: Recognizing the Legacy
“Calgary’s economy requires talent to
adapt quickly to emerging opportunities and challenges. In a constantly evolving
labour market, learning must be continuous. ”
For decades, Calgary’s labour market supported the demands of the oil & gas industry and adjacent sectors. This included prioritizing job skills and compensating staff far above national average. One side-effect of this legacy is a significant gap between current labour market skills and the skills essential to meeting the demands of a fast-changing world. Transitioning Calgary’s learning system to meet these emerging demands requires increased harmonization and collaboration across the full system.
Insight 4: Barriers to an Inclusive Labour Market
There are significant barriers to Calgary becoming a fully inclusive labour market. These barriers range from culture to hiring practices. Calgary must adopt strategies to unlock and develop the potential for all to prosper in a diversified economy.
“In Calgary, 20 percent of executive positions are held by women. The lowest of the major cities. ”
Insight 5: Barriers Limiting System Innovation
Though Calgary possesses a vast learning system, significant barriers impede both collaboration and competition. These barriers range from infrastructure to culture. To stimulate innovation, strategies should be adopted to accelerate both collaboration and competition.
