Inclusive Innovation in Skills and Employment: Leveraging Disruption in the Labour Market

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused tremendous disruptions in the labour market. Entire sectors have been decimated, and jobs that newcomers once worked while starting their lives in Canada may no longer exist. But it is not all doom and gloom. These disruptions can be leveraged to drive change.

This year, the Diversity Institute presented the final day of the Metropolis Canada Conference (external link)  to highlight new approaches to defining, assessing, developing and utilizing the skills of newcomers and immigrants under the theme, “Reskilling and Upskilling Immigrant Talent During COVID-19.” Thought leaders and industry experts came together with Diversity Institute researchers to consider the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrants, newcomers and youth, and the challenges facing immigrants in the economy and the workforce. Sessions also highlighted emerging innovations in the immigration ecosystem, how entrepreneurship can act as a pathway to integration, new approaches to English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, and the value of trauma-informed skills training programs.

Diversity Institute Founder and Academic Director, Wendy Cukier, opened the program with a call to harness innovation to drive change in the skills and employment ecosystem addressing both job seekers as well as employers. “Too often we focus on “fixing” job seekers when part of the problem is employers. They lament talent shortages but are often “looking for skills in all the wrong places”. While there are some encouraging new approaches, we still see organizations without strong connections to employers training people for “imaginary” jobs. We cannot afford to let talent be wasted - there are too many highly skilled newcomers - physicians, engineers, computer scientists, skilled trades people, managers - who are unemployed or under-employed. We need evidence-based approaches to defining, assessing, developing and utilizing skills.

“We need, in my view, to create more space to try new approaches. And when they work, to find ways to scale them and replicate them,” Cukier said. It is also necessary to challenge the assumption that the best way to ease the transition for newcomers is to place them in a classroom for six months in order to learn English particularly as there is considerable evidence that many language programs do not really work. New and different models of learning can help newcomers better settle in Canada. Cukier is a fan of “learning while doing” approaches. Work integrated learning and entrepreneurial training can be powerful ways to help newcomers develop and apply skills while retaining their dignity. Under-employment is not just an economic issue—it creates massive stress and mental health issues. 

The other challenge is fragmentation and lack of information sharing across the skills and employment ecosystem about what works for whom. We need better evaluation and to be prepared to replicate and scale effective programs and discontinue those that do not produce results. Cukier then facilitated a panel with champions of innovation in the sector.

“The time is now. How do we embrace this challenge to do things differently from a systems perspective?” asked Shamira Madhani (external link)  of World Education Services.

Madhani joined Patrick MacKenzie (external link)  of the Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IECBC) and Bruce Dewar (external link)  of LIFT Philanthropy Partners in a rich conversation moderated by Cukier following the research presentation.

Madhani emphasized that all voices must be present at the table in order to create a skills and employment ecosystem that is more inclusive of newcomers and immigrants. This means that immigrant communities as well as employers must be engaged to find solutions that satisfy both sides of the equation. Including individuals with lived experience on Boards or within leadership suites is one way organizations can accomplish this themselves, Madhani suggested.

MacKenzie built on this point, noting that employers can also become champions of the cause once properly engaged. MacKenzie has observed that employers who recognize the talent in the immigrant pool can become messengers who tell other employers, “This works.” These employers also recognize that tapping into the immigrant pool can be a significant organizational advantage since many others are failing to do the same.

Panelists explained that service organizations must be careful not to train individuals to obtain skills and competencies that employers are not actually looking for. IECBC has launched ASCEND (external link)  (Applied Skills Curriculum to Empower Newcomer Development), an interactive online program designed to develop the soft skills of Canadian newcomers. The program was developed alongside employers, HR experts, service delivery organizations, and immigrants to address challenges in hiring, onboarding and retaining newcomers in the workplace. It launched with just seven organizations in British Columbia, but is now being used by 60 organizations across the country.

Dewar added that it is important to recognize the amount of innovation already occurring in organizations that serve immigrants—many of whom have had to pivot their offerings to better serve individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dewar stresses the need to utilize an ecosystem approach and generously share best practices across the country while encouraging more partnerships and collaboration within the ecosystem. It is also key, Dewar noted, to keep the mental health needs of both immigrants and the people delivering employment programs top of mind when designing skills training and settlement programs.

“This is not the time to go back to the old—but to do really great things,” Dewar said.

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