Preparing the youth for a ‘revolution of opportunities’ in Canada’s agriculture

June 29, 2020By

By Abdul-Rahim Abdulai

The Challenge of Agricultural Labour

The Canada Agricultural Human Resources Council has noted that no other sector in Canada faces as many labour challenges as the agriculture sector. The agency projects that, by 2029, nearly 123,000 jobs in agriculture are at risk of going unfilled. That will be equivalent to 32% of the total demand for labour in the sector, or roughly one in three jobs[i]. The surplus is expected to grow as the sector faces a rising number of retirements and fewer younger workers entering the labour force.

A previous study by the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) confirmed that for each graduate entering into Ontario’s food and agricultural sector, about four jobs are available, a labour gap projected to grow in the future[ii]. With these gaps, a growing surplus of well-paid jobs exists in Canadian agriculture. As many such jobs go unfilled, a disjuncture between skills and labour availability is brought to bear.  While these jobs may include traditional farm work, the majority are in the new and emerging farm work requiring new digital and cognitive skills.

Opportunities from unknown to untapped

“You got to know something about farming. Not everybody can take some seed into the sand and make some good soil and grow crops successfully. It’s not always that easy, but I got a tool today that I didn’t have when I started farming. And a very good tool. When I was 19 years old, it didn’t exist, that wasn’t invented yet. Do you know what it is? The internet.” (Farmer 1)[iii]

The above excerpt from my interview with an old farmer in Newfoundland got me thinking about emerging changes in agriculture. The internet, with the power it presents for the development of novel tools, processes and activities in farming, heralds the beginning of a new age of agricultural work. Current changes are ushering in digital agriculture, or what RBC called the Farmer 4.0.[iv]

As agricultural work is increasingly associated with big data, the internet of things, drones and other smart systems, greater opportunities are created, yet unknown to many and untapped at best. The existing opportunities are avenues left untapped by the younger generation, who are increasingly detached from the farm and the realities of forward-looking agriculture. For instance, farmer 4.0 is innovative, highly skilled, data-driven and diverse. Youth are best known to represent these characteristics, which anchor the new skill requirements in agriculture.

Preparing the youth for future work in agriculture

The path to discovering and tapping into the opportunities of new farming methods require collaborative efforts to unveil current opportunities in agriculture to youth, while at the same time equipping them with the needed practical experiences and skills to access these opportunities. Multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary education must be at the core of higher education in Canada and beyond. Our current education program, which is largely anchored on discipline specificity, creates a disconnect between agriculture, technology, business and other critical sectors. Meanwhile, the practical world is experiencing increasing links between disciplines. Hence, institutions must adopt interdisciplinary approaches to create synergy among diverse skill requirements of modern agriculture. For example, new courses on digital agriculture could help bring ICT and agriculture closer to allow the younger generations to appreciate the growing connections between the two sectors.

Also, experiential learning opportunities are needed across educational stages. More co-op programs, and other models that allow students to engage with the industry and to experience what is out there, are essential in generating interest in agricultural careers. Only through such programs can the younger generation become exposed to experiences of the new ways of farming, ultimately growing their interest in the sector.

Author Bio

Abdul-Rahim Abdulai is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics at the University of Guelph, and affiliated with the Arrell Food Institute. Abdul-Rahim’s interest is in the future of agriculture, through workforce development and digital technological advancements. His research asks questions on motivating people to enter into agricultural workforce and mechanism to prepare youth for changing skill requirements triggered by emerging digital agricultural technologies.

References

[i] CAHRC (2019).  How Labour Challenges Will Shape the Future of Agriculture: Agriculture Forecast to 2029. https://cahrc-ccrha.ca/sites/default/files/National%20Report_Final%20-%20EN%202019%20reduced%20size.pdf

[ii] Ontario Agricultural College (2017) Ontario Agricultural College. Planning for Tomorrow 2.0

[iii] Abdulai, A. (2018). Motivating Future Farmers? Understanding Farmer Attraction and Retention Policy Interventions in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Agriculture. https://research.library.mun.ca/13375/

[iv] RBC (2019). Farmer 4.0. How the coming skills revolution can transform agriculture http://www.rbc.com/economics/economic-reports/pdf/other-reports/Farmer4_aug2019.pdf

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What does it mean to be human in our knowledge-technology society?

June 29, 2020By

By Colleen Knechtel

“We are still teaching students how to ride dinosaurs,” a career and technology studies teacher recently proclaimed in the career centre of a large urban high school. As there has been a shift from an industrial economy to a knowledge-technology society, wherein our ways of living, learning and working continue to adapt, employment opportunities for young people are less than favourable. Part of the issue is keeping pace in a rapidly changing, globally connected world. The focus in our schools is primarily on academic subjects of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), while at the same time there is a worrisome shortage of people with the skillsets to innovate and get things done. Education has not kept up with the far-reaching implications of a global world, and since it will be our young people who will be leading our way forward, we must urgently attend to educational reform, and in particular, the political binary that currently exists between academic and vocational education. It is our ethical obligation to do so.

As a scholar and career development educator, when I consider the survival of both our planet and our human species, I have come to understand that it is not simply the core subjects along with the advancement of scientific knowledge in universities that will create continuity of life; it is also those important skillsets of knowing how to build things and how to innovate in tangible ways that will keep humanity flourishing for years to come. In addition to saving our planet from ecological disaster, in a video (see reference list below), Aravena (2014), an architect, articulated very well our human needs in the next several decades; that is, finding innovative ways to house and feed our growing world population. To accomplish this, along with experiential learning opportunities, the development of specialized skillsets and creative minds are necessary to find our way forward.

In a knowledge-technology society, teachers need to be teaching hands-on skillsets as young people begin to solve real-life problems such as the ones in Aravena’s video. Most importantly, since many of us are deeply interconnected by technology, we must take thoughtful and meaningful steps to ensure that technology will not overcome our humanity and become the nemesis of our humanness. Given the complexities of our world, educational systems can no longer support the dichotomy of either/or education. We need, instead, to blend STEM with the vocational. Our education system is in need of interdisciplinary education with the purpose of engaging our creative young people to develop skillsets necessary to solve real-life problems. In the realm of education and career development, the main idea we now need to work through is how to bring closer together academic knowledge with vocational education to address the skills gap employers continue to see (for inspiration, see other videos in reference list below).

Illustrated in these videos are hands-on skillsets that invite us all to think more deeply about the value and importance of young people learning innovative, inquiry-based skills and knowledge – skillsets for artistry and craftsmanship that combine STEM knowledge, whereby core subjects merge together with vocational learning and innovation. Should we strive toward “purposefulness without purpose” (Kant) (Roberts, 1991), or do we want to lead and endeavour into purposeful exploration – that is, toward a goal? Being vocational involves goal-oriented exploration and discovery with purpose. Agency is our ‘response-ability’ to act in our world to make a difference. These ideals build on important concepts of economic resilience and social capital: the effective functioning of networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society with a shared sense of identity, norms and values built through trust, co-operation and reciprocity. In our world, interdisciplinarity and response-ability are what it means to be human and act in human ways, providing hope and possibilities for the future of our world and our youth.

Author Bio

A former employment counsellor with disability management expertise, Colleen Knechtel, MEd, Educational Policy Studies (2015), is currently a PhD student at the University of Alberta, and a CERIC GSEP committee member with research interests in career development in schools, wishing to understand how to make sense of the needs of secondary students as they explore their aspirations beyond high school.

References and Videos

Aravena, A. (2014). My architectural philosophy? Bring the community into the process [Video]. https://www.ted.com/talks/alejandro_aravena_my_architectural_philosophy_bring_the_community_into_the_process.

Buechley, L. (2011). How to “sketch” with electronics. [Video]. https://www.ted.com/talks/leah_buechley_how_to_sketch_with_electronics?language=en

Hammond, R. (2011). Building a park in the sky [Video]. https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_hammond_building_a_park_in_the_sky#t-12664 

Hood, W. (2018). How urban spaces can preserve history and build community [Video]. https://www.ted.com/talks/walter_hood_how_urban_spaces_can_preserve_history_and_build_community

Rao, A. (2013). Art that craves your attention. [Video].  https://www.ted.com/talks/aparna_rao_art_that_craves_your_attention

Roberts, D. (1991). Art and enlightenment: Aesthetic theory after Adorno. University of Nebraska Press.

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Women with disability as corporations’ stakeholders

June 29, 2020By

By Luciana Martins Alves

In Canada, 14.9% of women live with disability (Statistics Canada, 2012), of which 13.4% reported unemployment (Statistics Canada, 2011); 5.6% of Canadian women living without disability reported unemployment (Statistics Canada, 2011). This unbalance in unemployment rates between women with disability (WWD) and women without disability denotes a problem that requires attention from academics, policy makers, corporations and society in general. So, to address this issue academically, this paper uses the human development (HD) and stakeholder theories.

HD 

HD is the theory that studies human development throughout the life span using the lenses of human capability (Osami, 2017). It is premised on analyzing inequalities and iniquities (eg, between men and women) (Baru, 1998; HOR, 1996), as well as generating environmental conditions for people to expand their choices by using their innate and acquired capabilities. Examples of choice include healthier life, education and resources to a decent standard of living. Examples of using innate and acquired capabilities include leisure and being culturally, socially and politically active (Baru, 1998; HOR, 1996). In other words, HD theory defines well-being as the generation of environmental conditions for individuals to develop the “ability to live well across all spheres of life” (Clark, 2005, p.1340). Therefore, the HD theory is grounded on: strategic organizational planning and corporate social responsibility (CSR) (Freeman, I984), and the academic theoretical framework of stakeholder theory is founded on: “strategic management, human resources management, public policy, business, ethics and CSR” (Freeman, et al, 2010).

In summary, HD and stakeholder theories premises comprehend the importance of analyzing societal problem of inequalities and iniquities and are used in this paper to advocate for the relevance of considering WWD as corporate stakeholders. Therefore, consider their interest and generate an inclusive workplace environment for them to use their innate and acquired capabilities to expand their choices. Thus, acknowledge the right of WWD to well-being.

Author Bio

Luciana Martins Alves is a doctoral candidate in Human Development at McGill University and is currently creating a consulting business that will offer its services to companies that have employees with disability. Luciana has research interests broadly in work inclusion for women with disability, human development and stakeholder theory.

References

Argandona, A. (1998). The stakeholder theory and the common good. Journal of Business Ethics 17 (9): 1093-102.

Baru, S. (1998). Mahbub ul Haq and Human Development: A Tribute. Economic and Political Weekly, 33(35), 2275- 2279.

Clark, D. (2005). Sen’s capability approach and the many spaces of human well-being. Journal of Development Studies, 41(8 ), 1339-1368. doi:10.1080/00220380500186853

Mainardes, E. W., Alves, H., & Raposo, M. (2011). Stakeholder theo ry: Issues to resolve .

Management Decision , 49(2), 226-252. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741111109133

Osmani, S. R. (2017). The Capability Approach and Human Development: Some Reflections (2016 UNDP Human Development Report Think Piece) , 24. Retrieved March 21st, 2019 from http:hdr.undp.orgsitesdefault/filesosmanitemplatepd!

Phillips, R.A. (2003). Stakeholder theory and organizational ethics. San Francisco, Berrett­ Koehler Publishers.

Statistics Canada (2012). Women with disability. Retrieved December 4th 2018 from https://www.150.statcan.gc.ca/nl/pub/89-503-x/201 500l/articlc/14695-eng.htm

Statistics Canada (2011). Persons with disability and employment. Retrieved  December 4t  h, 2018 from https://www.150.statcan.gc.ca/nl/pub/75-006-x/20 1400I/article/14115-eng.htm

Wicks, A.C. and Freeman, R.E. (1998). Organization studies and the new pragmatism: Positivism, anti-positivism , and the search for ethics. Organization Science, 9. 123- 140.

Wicks , A.C., Gilbe rt, D.R. and Freeman, R.E. (1994). A feminist reinterpretation of the stakeholder concept. Business Ethics Quarterly 4 (4): 475-497.

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2020

CERIC to publish edition of popular Retain and Gain Playbook to support career management in the public sector

June 23, 2020By

Developing a skilled, inclusive, agile and equipped workforce is a necessity for public sector employers across Canada. To help meet this need, CERIC is developing a Playbook for managers at federal, provincial and municipal levels focused on career management. It is targeted to front-line managers looking to implement better career management approaches with their teams and will address employee engagement and retention, manager competencies, career progression and recruitment challenges in the context of the changing world of work.

Titled Retain and Gain: Career Management for the Public Sector, the Playbook is being authored by Lisa Taylor, President of Challenge Factory, one of Canada’s leading workplace and future of work experts. It will be research-focused and informed by the realities and experiences of the public sector. It builds on the success of CERIC’s two earlier publications with Taylor, Retain and Gain: Career Management for Small Business Playbook, supported by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and Retain and Gain: Career Management for Non-Profits and Charities Playbook, supported by Imagine Canada and others.

The new Playbook is expected to include:

  • Key career development issues, research, statistics – relevant to Canada’s public sector, and 40+ practical, low-cost tips, activities and actions to engage and retain staff
  • Recognition of distinct workforce and workplace conditions in the public service, special sections, templates and links to unique resources
  • Specific focus will be given to equity and inclusion, highlighting how career development approaches can address the impact of systemic barriers and discrimination

The Playbooks will be produced in both English and French and presented in the innovative graphic-oriented “travel guide” format used in previous versions. They will be available for free download in keeping with CERIC’s charitable mandate and accessibility focus, but also for sale in print and ebook formats.  It is expected the Playbooks will be released in Spring 2021.

CERIC is once again seeking Knowledge Champions to work with us to shape and support the dissemination of these valuable resources. Knowledge Champions play a key role in helping to amplify the importance of career management to the public sector workforce and provide concrete tools that lead to better employee as well as organizational performance. To get involved, please contact Sharon Ferriss, CERIC’s Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, at sharon@ceric.ca.

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CERIC pulse survey2020

CERIC Recovery Pulse Survey spotlights resilience and innovation in Canada’s career services

June 18, 2020By

Despite vast and ongoing challenges presented by the current global pandemic, Canada’s career and employment services are showing remarkable resilience and innovation as they reimagine their work. By leveraging technology, 89% are reporting they are delivering programs and services remotely, introducing novel approaches to meet student, client and employer needs. These findings come from the new CERIC Recovery Pulse Survey, which gathered input on the impact of COVID-19 on career services across the country as we move into a recovery period. A total of 1,146 career development professionals responded to the survey between June 4 and 12.

Using videoconferencing in addition to phone, email and chat to support clients has now become standard. Some of the other ways that career and employment services are enhancing their offerings include: creating videos and podcasts to deliver remote job search guidance, developing programming for Instagram and YouTube, offering virtual career fairs, hosting Twitter chats, preparing clients for digital interviews, working with employers to secure opportunities for students to do virtual placements and even buying tablets for clients to offset access issues. There is recognition that remote service delivery can be difficult for some vulnerable populations, but career professionals highlighted that it can also increase access, improve digital literacy and strengthen adaptability.

CERIC pulse survey

Click the image to see the full infographic

Comments about the transformation of career services include:

  • “It has forced us to review what we offer and how we offer it and to make it more streamlined and relevant.”
  • “An opportunity for clients to really take the time to research and determine a career change or career path.”
  • “Partnering with other service providers to offer remote advice, webinars and online information that they previously needed to do in-house.”
  • “In an attempt to understand the ‘new normal,’ I have been challenged to be more creative, more empathetic and broad-thinking in my approach to everything.”
  • “Offering more services remotely in future – expand our geographic territory, more accessible to those with transportation or mobility or childcare challenges.”
  • “Tapping into clients’ resilience to face challenges and foster flexibility in their job search.”

However, current realities are presenting very real challenges to the viability of many organizations with nearly a quarter (23.7%) reporting they have had to reduce or close programs and services; 1 in 5 have had to lay off staff or reduce staff hours. Meanwhile, 17.2% of respondents report increased demand for their services from students and clients, and 1 in 5 organizations have been able to develop new partnerships and initiatives. The future remains uncertain: more than half of respondents (54.1%) expect to be open six months from now with limited impact on their operations, while 21.9% anticipate they will be able to grow their services.

Overall, career development professionals reported that among their students and clients, 83.9% see this time period as a stressor and only 16.1% as an opportunity. They indicate that clients with mental health challenges are among the groups most negatively affected, followed by unemployed and low-income individuals. Among respondents, 44.1% say their clients are only somewhat or poorly equipped to handle the mental health impact of the situation.

With the goal of this survey to gather vital intelligence around the changing state of the career development field in Canada during the recovery, there are plans to repeat the Pulse Survey again at the end of the summer and during the fall to track changes over time. Results will continue to show shifts in how career services are being reimagined and tell the story of the public good that career and employment professionals offer in this period of massive workforce upheaval.

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2020

Spring-Summer Issue of Careering focuses on rural workforce development

June 10, 2020By

As part of the third collaborative edition between CERIC and the National Career Development Association (NCDA), the Spring-Summer 2020 issue of Careering magazine highlights “Rural Workforce Development.”

You will find articles from both sides of the border exploring creative solutions to labour shortages, the challenges of unequal broadband access, how to ensure the viability of the agriculture industry, trends in rural workforce development and much more. Several articles also analyze the impacts of COVID-19.

Articles in this issue:

…and much more, including:

Careering is Canada’s Magazine for Career Development Professionals and is the official publication of CERIC. It is published three times a year both in print and as an emagazine, including select content in French. Subscribe to receive your free copy. You can also access past issues for free online.

The Fall 2020 issue of Careering will be on the theme of “Career Superpowers.” Please send a brief description of your idea to Editor Lindsay Purchase, lindsay@ceric.ca, no later than June 30. Article deadlines will be set for this summer in conjunction with writers.

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2020

CERIC announces award of project to examine foundational skills in grades 4-6

June 10, 2020By

CERIC’s Career Development in Children: Identifying Critical Success Conditions and Strategies project has been awarded to an international team of academic researchers led by Dr Lorraine Godden, Ironwood Consulting and Carleton University; Nicki Moore, University of Derby, and Dr Heather Nesbitt and Dr Stefan Merchant, Queen’s University. This project will examine how foundational concepts and skills that are introduced and developed by classroom teachers connect to career-related learning in Canadian elementary schools.

The project stems from a Request for Proposals that CERIC released last fall to identify the foundational elements that students in grades 4-6 need to thrive in all phases of life and career planning. It is clear that introducing career concepts within the early years, whether formally through designed programs or informally through play-based learning, can have a long lasting and impactful presence. But in the absence of the formal infusion of career into curricula, what options are available within the education structure to ensure that children can sustainably develop the tools they will need to navigate a world of work we cannot yet imagine?

The starting point for the research is that teachers are the linchpin, engaging with students at every age and stage. Teachers guide various learning and play activities that foster foundational skills (eg, healthy habits, social and emotional skills, self-confidence, empathy, team work, critical thinking, self-awareness, emotional regulation) but these are not usually undertaken from a career development perspective. Yet, in later grades, both teacher and student are expected to connect the dots to help students make sound educational, career and life-planning choices.

CERIC’s interest in this project is three-fold:

  • To understand the landscape of what is happening in elementary education across Canada related to introducing/building career related foundational skills
  • To use a mixed-methods approach to explore the impact of these conditions and strategies on career development foundational skills
  • To develop a teacher’s aid toolkit that validates teacher practice

Researchers will gather data from educators, parents and grade 4-6 students in public school settings across Canada. Diverse perspectives (including Indigenous communities, immigrant communities, francophone communities, special needs educators, and urban, rural and remote communities) will be included to deepen understanding of individual and collective beliefs, perceptions and interpretations concerning career-related education.

This project builds on earlier CERIC-supported research from Memorial University that investigated the career development process of children, aged 3 to 8 (pre-K to grade 3). It produced two guides – one for Educators and one for Parents – to empower them to support young children during this critical period of play, fun and fantasy.

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graphic of globe surrounded by connectivity linesCareering

Broadband in rural communities key to economic development

June 9, 2020By
COVID-19 brings rural-urban digital divide into stark contrast, highlighting the challenges faced by more than two million Canadians without reliable internet

Ray Orb

Rural, northern and remote communities are essential to Canada’s economy and quality of life. They are home to key industries – from agriculture and natural resources to manufacturing and tourism – and they represent the very fabric of this country. Together, they drive nearly one-third of Canada’s economy and play a crucial role in nation building. Fostering strong, thriving rural communities builds better lives for millions of Canadians and contributes to the prosperity of the entire country.

However, as Canada entered the “Digital Age,” these communities faced distinct challenges that arose from their geography, climate, demographics and more. Right now, two million Canadian households still can’t access a reliable internet connection, which is vital to our economy and quality of life.

Connectivity is now as important as roads and bridges to the success and economic health of every community. It is for these reasons that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has been working with successive federal governments to close the rural-urban digital divide we see in Canada – the so-called “broadband gap.”

These disparities between rural, northern and remote areas and urban centres have only been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic: more and more people need to work remotely, access educational content, apply for federal aid programs, and stay connected with friends and family. This is easier said than done in many areas where there is no guarantee of a reliable internet connection.

This crisis underscores that we need to rapidly address the digital divide within Canada, not only for today, but also for tomorrow; broadband will play a key role in Canada’s economic future and recovery post-COVID-19.

An essential economic driver

It is no secret that the internet is now driving social and economic progress on a scale comparable to the arrival of electricity in the early 20th century. Being connected has rapidly become essential to our prosperity, and Canadians ubiquitously rely on the internet and wireless connectivity for their personal and professional lives. Students need it for homework, entrepreneurs need it to grow their business, and healthcare workers in rural and remote areas need it to communicate with specialists, to access patient data and to provide comprehensive care in harder-to-reach areas.

It is no surprise then, that rural, northern and remote communities overwhelmingly “identified challenges accessing affordable, high-speed internet as the number one issue impeding their economic growth” in a recent Government of Canada report (ISED, 2019).

Connectivity is one of the first things businesses consider when deciding to establish themselves in a community. Consequently, low-quality and high-cost internet can seriously hamper the economic development of rural, northern and remote regions. Furthermore, internet access not only dictates where businesses are established, but also how they are operated. As most local businesses shift to online-only in response to COVID-19, those with limited or no internet access are at a serious disadvantage that could affect their viability.

“Being connected has rapidly become essential to our prosperity.”

While consulting Canadians ahead of presenting the federal government’s connectivity strategy, Canadian officials heard from small businesses being forced to operate on a “cash-only” basis because their internet service was not powerful enough to allow Interac debit payment. They also heard about some farm operations that tried to connect to global markets using fax machines (ISED, 2019).

Expanding internet access for rural, northern and remote communities is a necessity. It means more local entrepreneurs can access broader markets, which is vital to Canada’s economy in today’s global marketplace.

Next steps

With FCM’s support, rural, northern and remote communities across Canada brought national attention to this critical issue. The federal government has since recognized the importance of federal investments to improve broadband coverage and capacity.

Significant investments have been made in recent years: Since 2009, rural municipal leaders from every corner of the country helped secure over $1 billion in federal broadband funding and played a central role in convincing the CRTC to declare universal access to high-speed internet an essential service. Municipalities developed unique partnerships with provincial governments and internet service providers.

Men is typing on laptop computer keyboard
iStock
Pictou County takes internet access into its own hands

Among the 11,000 households in Pictou County, NS, not everyone has access to internet. For those who do, internet can be slow or unreliable. Some families have to drive to the library or Tim Horton’s so that their kids can submit their homework. The development of a high-speed broadband network accessible to everyone is a priority for the community.

Tired of waiting for industry or government to bridge the gap, the Municipality of Pictou County (MOPC) is undertaking a project to build the backbone infrastructure of a broadband network. Once the network is constructed, internet service providers can lease the network from the MOPC, which will generate revenue for the municipality and provide high-speed internet to all residents and business. It’s like a toll highway; the municipality will build the road, but charge others to use the service. Not only is the network self-sustaining, but telecom spend is kept in the community, which enables new services to be delivered. The have partnered with Nova Communications, a division of ROCK Networks, and Nova’s consortium of best-in-class partners to build the network.

Municipalities across Canada are complaining about a lack of funding for community projects including broadband services. The Pictou County model of a community-owned network offers a potential way forward. Empowering rural communities like Pictou County to be able to close the broadband gap will also allow them to grow and prosper. Widely accessible high-speed internet will promote job creation, allow for increased abilities in smart agriculture, create new tourism opportunities and allow businesses to compete in the digital economy without leaving their community.

– Courtesy of Joe Hickey, President and CEO of ROCK Networks, and Nova Communications, a division of ROCK Networks

They used this federal funding to attract private investment, making every dollar go further. In addition, the 2019 federal budget committed unprecedented new funding – $2.7 billion over a decade including a $1 billion Universal Broadband Fund – to help achieve the goal of universal high-speed internet access.

Nevertheless, as technological advances bring a net benefit in communities from coast to coast to coast, they also bring incessant change. Governments and municipalities across the country need to constantly adapt and innovate.

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To close the internet access gap, we need novel approaches to existing policies and investment strategies. We need to look at rural, northern and remote communities in a way that will define and nurture economic potential, drive innovation and build better lives for all Canadians.

In order to succeed, we must apply a rural lens to federal programs and policies. In practice, that might mean adapting funding eligibility criteria or streamlining processes to account for local realities. Fundamentally, it means bringing rural expertise to the table as national solutions are developed. With flexible tools at their disposal and a voice at the decision-making table, local leaders will help deliver tailored, cost-effective solutions that work.

Moving forward, the federal government needs to maintain or exceed recent federal broadband investments, and must also commit long-term, predictable federal funding to expand broadband internet access. Quickly launching the new Universal Broadband Fund will ensure that municipalities struggling to get online during the pandemic are positioned for economic recovery. Co-ordination between federal and provincial/territorial governments and agencies delivering broadband funding will help maximize capital for broader internet access.

If federal policies, programs and funding tools are built around the knowledge, expertise and input of local municipalities, and if they reflect regional priorities, they will more efficiently maintain the competitiveness of communities across the country. Rural municipalities are – and must be – key partners to the federal government in managing and growing the full suite of telecommunications infrastructure that underpins Canada’s economy.

Ray Orb was born in Regina and was raised on a farm in the Markinch district. He entered the world of municipal politics in 1985. He was first elected as a councillor in the Rural Municipality of Cupar, and then Reeve in 1995, a position he currently holds. He is now Chair of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Rural Forum and President of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM).

References

ISED. (2019). High-Speed Access for All: Canada’s Connectivity Strategy ic.gc.ca/eic/site/139.nsf/eng/h_00002.html

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Network of online business concept.Careering

How to create effective online career workshops

June 9, 2020By
Developing pre-recorded presentations can help broaden access to career services for rural and remote communities

Diane Moore

This article was also published in the Summer 2020 issue of the National Career Development Association’s Career Developments magazine.

Many career development organizations have begun creating online workshops to complement their face-to-face offerings or as a substitute for live seminars. Online workshops can be a great way to provide services to a broader audience, particularly in rural and remote communities where it can be difficult for clients to travel long distances to attend a workshop in person, especially during the winter months. This may be even more important now, as COVID-19 physical distancing has reduced or eliminated opportunities for face-to-face training.

There are two approaches you can take to offering online workshops: live online webinars or pre-recorded, on-demand seminars. Pre-recorded seminars, which will be the focus of this article, make more sense as offerings in remote communities. While we take easy access to Wi-Fi for granted in urban and suburban settings, network connections may be unreliable in rural settings. Also, individuals may not have access at home to the electronic devices they need to connect with webinars in real time and may need to travel to a nearby town to access equipment at a library. By offering pre-recorded, on-demand training sessions, you will ensure clients can access the information they need to support their job search or career decision-making when they need it. If you are asked to create an online workshop for your organization, here are some steps and tools to help you get started.

Compile workshop content on your topic and create an outline. When converting a live workshop to an online offering, the content from a face-to-face workshop is a good place to start. If you’re starting from scratch, research and create your content just as you would for a face-to-face seminar. Assess the needs of your audience and consider what will work effectively in an online format. Be clear about your learning outcomes. What do you want participants to know or be able to do as a result of your seminar? Ensure that every component of your content connects to these outcomes. Keeping it simple is particularly important for online workshops as viewers can quickly “tune out” and lose interest if there is too much information for them to easily absorb. Keep your topic narrow and don’t try to cram in everything you might do in a live workshop. Once you have your content compiled, create an outline of your key points to use later for your narration script.

Select a platform to create your visuals. PowerPoint is the most common software used for presentations. However, you may want to experiment with other programs. Prezi (prezi.com) is a more dynamic way of displaying your visuals as it allows you to zoom in on the different components of your presentation. Canva (canva.com) provides some good presentation templates with colourful and engaging graphics. VideoScribe (videoscribe.co) is also an excellent tool for creating animated presentations. These programs have free trial versions, but check their limitations to ensure they meet your needs. If your organization wants to make online presentations a permanent feature, a full version of the program(s) you prefer will need to be purchased.

Young student watching lesson online and studying from home.

Create the visual framework for your presentation. Design a rough draft of your visuals using the program you’ve selected. Put each of the key points you outlined on separate slides. It’s okay if you don’t have wording fully fleshed out yet. As you work through the remaining steps, you may decide to replace some of the text with images or graphics.

For each slide, decide on the best way to deliver the content. In live workshops, we usually alternate content delivery with activities that participants do independently and in small groups. You want to replicate this process as much as possible when designing online presentations. For example, you might do a two-minute introduction to your topic, then ask a question and have participants write down their answers.

Add visual interest to your presentation by displaying some information in graphic form. For example, you might place a mind map at the beginning of your presentation showing all the points you’re covering at a glance. Popplet.com offers a good tool for creating mind maps. Or you might create an infographic (venngage.com) to provide statistics related to your topic. Shutterstock.com offers a good inventory of free images. Allow extra time as visual elements take a bit longer to design than just putting text on a slide.

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Fill in the rest of your content on the slides. Go back to any slides where you have just rough ideas written down and flesh them out further. Continue with this step until you have finalized the text and images you want on each slide. Ensure your text is correct and visuals are all firmly in place before you begin recording.

Create a script for your narration. Use the key points from the outline of your text to create a word-for-word script. Some people can do their narration just using a list of bullet points. However, if you’re nervous about recording yourself, using an exact script will help you to eliminate “ums” or “ahs” and present your content smoothly. Rehearse your script a few times by reading it out loud before trying to record.

Choose a method to record your narration. PowerPoint has options for recording narration on slides, but it can sometimes be a bit glitchy depending on the version you use. A program like Screencast-o-matic (screencastomatic.com) is an excellent alternative for recording narration. It’s easy to learn and there’s a good trial version allowing users to record videos up to 15 minutes long. You can record your narration using your computer’s microphone as you advance through your slides on your screen. There are other options for recording narration, but pairing Screencast-o-matic with PowerPoint is an easy place to start if you’re creating your first online presentation. Ensure that the program you choose allows you to add closed captions in compliance with accessibility guidelines.

 Record your narration in a professional manner. Incorporate some inflection into your voice rather than reading your script in a monotone. Experiment with your microphone to get the best sound quality. Using good headphones can sometimes produce better sound quality than speaking directly into your microphone. Record your narration in a quiet room where you will not be disturbed.

The first couple of times you create a video can be a bit time consuming, but eventually you will master the software and become quicker at designing engaging, professional videos. Developing this skill can support your organization’s commitment to fully serve its client base in remote communities, while also enhancing your own competencies as a career development professional.

Diane Moore, MEd, CCDP, teaches online courses for the Career Development Practitioner Program at George Brown College and the Career Development Professional Program at Conestoga College. 

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