In 2013 CERIC has begun hosting a series of roundtable events across Canada to discuss fixing our “talent disconnect,” where individual skills and interests don’t always line up with emerging career options or what regional job markets immediately offer.

The goal of Canada’s Career Imperative is to have a national conversation about how to “develop, connect and retain the best of our talent” to meet the ever changing needs of disruptive markets. This is a discussion in which business, education and government all have a stake.

Recognizing the constant swings in and out of recession and major global forces that rapidly impact the changing world of work (technology, aging demographics and social behaviour to name a few), we in Canada have a real need for genuine, innovative and collaborative action.

Discussion at the roundtables has been focused on three key questions:

• If there was one thing you would change to make the work search & talent match process work better, what would it be?
• Variant language describes the “talent disconnect” dilemma. What strong value proposition statement would you make for career development services so that business and government would see it as our nation’s investment?
• What are some examples in your regional area of collaborative innovations where business (small & large), education, community-based services, trade groups and government are developing and connecting people with productive and rewarding career opportunities?

Roundtables have already been held in Burlington, Toronto and Calgary. Read the reports from these cities. Further roundtables will be held in Moncton, Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver in the fall. Check back for updates.

Canada’s Career Imperative is sponsored by Millier Dickinson Blais.