Editor's note: As published across Saltwire network, Friday June 12
Opinion: Atlantic Canada’s universities can future-proof workforces
By Ava Czapalay and Andrew Hakin
Atlantic Canadian universities serve to anchor communities throughout the region, write Ava Czapalay and Andrew Hakin.
Earlier this spring, David Campbell wrote a compelling review of Atlantic Canada’s labour market outlook. Entitled Help Wanted, Campbell’s analysis points to a very challenging future for this region if there is no intervention.
With an aging population, more deaths than births, and plummeting immigration, in-migration and international student enrolments, Campbell warns of a “demographic time bomb.”
Quite simply, we will not have the workforce needed to prosper and grow. These outcomes are already present in rural areas in which services, businesses and population are being lost through migration to larger, urban settings.
Is that what we as Atlantic Canadians want? Many of us live, learn, work and play in communities throughout Atlantic Canada. Their vibrancy, uniqueness and rich quality of life they provide make our communities special and worth investing in and saving.
Help is available and it is close at hand.
Many will be aware of the recent convocation ceremonies. In total, 19,094 students graduated from 16 Atlantic Canadian universities this spring. We know, from over 20 years of Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission surveys and from a survey of Atlantic Canada’s university graduates (The Class of 2020 Atlantic University Graduates, Two Years On), that the majority of our university graduates, about 73 per cent in the Atlantic Canada survey, remain in the region to continue their studies and to enter the work force.
Yes, we need a lot more people in the skilled trades. But we also need workers who are university educated. We also need a hybrid of these workforce groups: people who are university educated and who have participated in workplace (experiential) learning as a part of their studies.
Universities have many experiential learning tools to ensure graduates are prepared for Atlantic Canada’s workplaces. Not only do university students develop future-proof skills, such as the ability to think creatively, problem solve, communicate and work in teams, they also have available opportunities to engage with employers through co-op placements, internships, practicums, mentoring, volunteering and networking.
In addition, skills can be layered on to university degrees. Vehicles such as microcredentials, short, flexible and affordable employer-approved training, can be used for the likes of AI certification, data analytics and leadership training.
Atlantic Canadian universities serve to anchor communities throughout the region. They are economic drivers; their purpose is to build a better society. Their ability to attract, retain and connect talent within both urban and rural communities is what must be done to avoid Campbell’s “demographic timebomb.”
Our universities are ready, willing and able to do this. Let’s work together, with urgency, to ensure this region maintains and future-proofs the workforce that it needs so that we can all thrive and prosper.
Universities can’t do it alone. We are committed to partnering with communities, colleges, governments and the business community to develop solutions. The Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU) looks to partner with federal and provincial governments to ensure responsiveness to labour market needs.
In collaboration with the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, AAU will expand its network of employer partnerships in the region, offering more experiential learning opportunities for students across a broader range of programs. AAU will make it easier for growing sectors such as defence to access education and training. And regional universities will work together to sustainably grow international student enrolments in sectors where there will be the greatest demand for talent.
Atlantic Canada’s universities are acting now. Our future depends on it.
Ava Czapalay is CEO and Andrew Hakin is chair of the Association of Atlantic Universities
