OTTAWA, Oct. 14, 2014 /CNW/ - In a report published today, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce argues that closing the skills gap cannot be done without better aligning our education and training systems to our labour market needs. Entitled A Battle We Can't Afford to Lose: Getting Young Canadians from Education to Employment, the report investigates the various skills issues facing Canadian youth and what key factors should be looked at when preparing young people for the labour market.
"For Canadian youth, it is essential that the education and training they get is relevant to the job market they will enter," said Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. "There needs to be a new dialogue between young people, educators, employers and governments with a clear objective of ensuring there is a successful transition to employment," he added.
With the report, the Canadian Chamber investigates the state of three key factors affecting young Canadians' entry into the labour market:
- labour market information;
- career decision-making; and
- work-integrated learning.
The Canadian Chamber calls on the federal government to take the lead, coordinating with provinces and territories, in a national effort to reduce inefficiencies in the labour market while ensuring young Canadians have the fundamental skills necessary to enter the workforce.
"Government, education providers and businesses will need to work together much more closely to mitigate skills mismatching," concluded Beatty. "As stated in the title of the report, this is a battle we cannot afford to lose."
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the vital connection between business and the federal government. It helps shape public policy and decision-making to the benefit of businesses, communities and families across Canada with a network of over 450 chambers of commerce and boards of trade, representing some 200, 000 businesses of all sizes in all sectors of the economy and in all regions. News and information are available at Chamber.ca or follow us on Twitter @CdnChamberofCom.
SOURCE: Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Émilie S. Potvin, Office: 613.238.4000 (231), Cell: 613.797.1860, [email protected]
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