Sector Councils: Industry’s Voice on Human Resources and Skills Development Issues

By Fiona Murray

Sector councils are industry-led partnership organizations that address skills development issues and implement labour market solutions in key sectors of the economy. Sector Councils bring together representatives from business, labour, education, governments and other professional groups to comprehensively address solutions across Canada.

The Alliance of Sector Councils (TASC) is the network for more than 33 sector councils. TASC facilitates the sharing of best practices and collaboration on projects and research of collective interest. Several cross-cutting issues are affecting a number of councils including: Aboriginal engagement, immigrants and foreign credential recognition, career development, labour market information, liaison with education systems, workplace learning, and standards, certification and accreditation systems.

A recently released series of Fact Sheets on skills development issues highlights the many different programs and resources that have been developed by the councils. You can find all seven fact sheets at the TASC website including topics such as:

• Upskilling for the jobs of tomorrow
• Skills development for small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
• Credentials and integrating immigrants into the workforce.

As the funding arrangements with the federal government changes in the next 18 months, sector councils are going through their own strategic planning. Stay tuned to see how these organizations evolve and renew in the months ahead – and be sure to add these information-rich websites to your “favourites!”

Fiona Murray, M.Ed. is the Director of Programs at The Alliance of Sector Councils (TASC). Currentprojects include the development of university-industry partnerships, employer supports for hiring and retaining internationally trained workers and a national project to facilitate partnership development between employers and the K-12 educators.