Ryerson University's Diversity Institute and TECHNATION Create new Pathways to Technology Roles for Under-represented Groups

TORONTO, May 18, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, Ryerson University's Diversity Institute and TECHNATION, Canada's leading national technology industry association, announced the expansion of the Advanced Digital and Professional Training (ADaPT), a skills development and work placement program, Defining Digital Competencies project.

Post pandemic, digital skills are more critical than ever before.  The pace of digitalization has accelerated across sectors and research shows that digital skills include a wide range of competencies. Finding alternative pathways for non-science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates, as well as ways to up-skill and re-skill existing employees, are among the greatest challenges facing Canada's workforce.  To address this, the Future Skills Centre (FSC) is re-investing in ADaPT, Defining Digital Competencies.

The ADaPT program was developed by Ryerson University's Diversity Institute in 2014 and is being delivered in partnership with TECHNATION with support from FSC. The new FSC investment of $4.2 million will enable the Diversity Institute and TECHNATION to reach more job seekers and support the building of their digital and professional development competencies and skills, while addressing the ongoing shortage of skilled talent within the technology sector.

The program has demonstrated its success in transitioning graduates from a variety of disciplines into digital jobs. With an average job placement of over 87 per cent over eight years, and a 94 per cent placement rate during the pandemic, the innovative ADaPT model has proven its value. The program  responds to research that identified a disconnect between supply and demand for skills, as well as  gaps in  perceived levels of competency. 

"As we continue to recover from COVID-19, young Canadians need access to skills development and job training opportunities," said Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough. "That is why Budget 2021 made historic investments to ensure that young Canadians have the supports they need to build long and successful careers. These investments through the Future Skills Centre will help TECHNATION Canada and the Diversity Institute continue to provide training to post-secondary students so they can develop digital skills."

"There's no doubt that we require more inclusive paths to well-paying jobs in the tech industry. That means reimagining how we connect talent to opportunity, taking a hard look at the skills, learning, and credentials required for the jobs of today and tomorrow, and investing in skilling initiatives that help Canadian businesses and academia, to work together in a different way," said Microsoft Canada president, and TECHNATION National Board of Directors Chair, Kevin Peesker.  "The ADaPT program is an important component of TECHNATION's strategy to meet the needs of its members addressing the barrier to those without digital skills."

"Our partnership with Ryerson's Diversity Institute is accelerating one of the most critical growth strategies for our economy - the up-skilling of talent across the nation," added Angela Mondou, president and CEO, TECHNATION. "No industry is immune, from healthcare to manufacturing, to government, finance and retail – the demand for skilled workers with digital competencies is growing exponentially. The ADaPT program will expand the talent pipeline and drive change in skills development beyond traditional means by implementing new effective and affordable models and pathways to employment, and by providing innovative pathways into ICT roles from non-STEM programs. The biggest win for Canada is increasing the inclusion of under-represented groups!"

ADaPT has helped transition more than 900 post-secondary graduates into meaningful careers while providing employers, particularly in the information and communications technologies (ICT) sector, with talent to fill the acute skills demand. By combining practical digital and technical skills with professional skills and communications and interpersonal skills, as well as career coaching and placement, the program has created opportunities for youth facing barriers – fully 75 per cent of participants are from designated and under-represented groupsin the workforce (women, racialized people, persons with disabilities and Indigenous people).

"We know through our research that there is a need to rethink what we mean by digital skills to recognize that it is more than science, engineering, technology and math (STEM)," said Wendy Cukier, director of Ryerson University's Diversity Institute and academic research lead of the Future Skills Centre. "The focus on STEM has the unintended consequence of excluding women and other under-represented groups from great opportunities. We need to recognize the range of digital skills and the importance of other skills – the ability to communicate with customers, to understand organizational processes, to support the implementation of technology which often requires a lot of non-technical skills.   We do not just need skills to build technological solutions but also the skills to support adoption. Without adoption there is no innovation. ADaPT has proven that it can train and transition diverse groups of job seekers to great opportunities."

"We know that digital skills are increasingly in demand and will be a core feature of more and more jobs across every industry," says Pedro Barata, Executive Director of the Future Skills Centre. "Investing in the development and enhancement of digital skills among diverse and underrepresented groups in the workforce is a perfect example of the projects FSC is supporting to help workers and businesses adapt and thrive in the economy of the future."

TECHNATION and Ryerson's Diversity Institute will build upon established partnerships with industry and employers to support community engagement, dissemination, training, and placement of ADaPT graduates. TECHNATION's successful Career Ready Program, containing a network of more than 1,000 companies – as well as its CareerFinder platform – will be leveraged to support program participants.  

About FSC

The Future Skills Centre (FSC) is a forward-thinking centre for research and collaboration dedicated to preparing Canadians  for employment success. We believe Canadians should feel confident about the skills they have to succeed in a changing workforce. As a pan-Canadian community, we are collaborating to rigorously identify, test, measure, and share innovative approaches to assessing and developing the skills Canadians need to thrive in the days and years ahead. The Future Skills Centre was founded by a consortium whose members are Ryerson University, Blueprint ADE, and The Conference Board of Canada, and is funded by the Government of Canada's Future Skills Program

About TECHNATION

TECHNATION is the industry-government nexus for technology prosperity in Canada. As a member-driven, not-for-profit, TECHNATION unites Canada's technology sector, governments, and communities to enable technology prosperity in Canada. TECHNATION champions technology prosperity by providing advocacy, professional development and networking opportunities across industry and governments at all levels; connecting Canadian scale-ups with global tech leaders; engaging the global supply chain; and filling the technology talent pipeline. TECHNATION has served as the authoritative national voice of the $210 billion ICT industry for over 60 years. More than 43,200 Canadian ICT firms create and supply goods and services that contribute to a more productive, competitive, and innovative society. The ICT sector generates more than 666,500 jobs and invests $7.5 billion annually in R&D, more than any other private sector performer. For more information: www.technationcanada.ca

About ADaPT:

Facilitated by the Diversity Institute at Ryerson University, ADaPT emerged out of research that was conducted for the 2014 Ontario Human Capital Research and Innovation Fund (OHCRIF). ADaPT is a work-integrated learning program that addresses the gap between employer needs and graduate skills through intensive training. ADaPT facilitates no-cost access to early talent with 70+ hours of training on in-demand skills through professional and digital workshops while also providing pathways to careers for participants which include populations currently under-represented in the workforce.  www.ryerson.ca/adapt/

SOURCE Diversity Institute at Ryerson University

Kathleen Powderley, Responsible Communications, [email protected], 416-803-5597