A study released this month shows a widening gap between career skillsets and workforce training.
The report, commissioned by InceptionU and conducted by RKI, suggests that Canadian companies risk losing top talent unless they elevate professional development beyond basic compliance and invest in building real capabilities.
Canada as a country is currently seeking to grow its national economy through major infrastructure projects and related innovations across areas like clean and agricultural technologies, artificial intelligence, and aerospace—but these sectors don’t appear to have the necessary training infrastructure to sufficiently upskill workers, according to Margo Purcell, chief executive officer of InceptionU, an organization offering MetaSkills development programs in Calgary since 2018.
“It’s not just what companies need,” Purcell explains. “It’s what the workforce is asking for.”
While more than 80% of Canadians have taken workplace training within the past year, just one-third said it was directly applicable to their job.
Yet Canadian professionals “are ready and want to learn skills that will enhance their current capabilities and prepare them for the uncertain future of work,” says Purcell.
Workplace learning and career progression “used to be very linear,” the CEO says, “but with technology evolving so fast, building the capacity to learn and adapt is more valuable.”
A significant percent of professionals are considering leaving their position, data from the survey shows, in pursuit of better opportunities that keep them ahead of the curve.
Today, “companies risk losing top talent if our learning programs don’t adapt as well,” according to Purcell.
The report, titled “Unlocking the Capability to Innovate,” defines five innovation archetypes that classify patterns in how people respond to change or a new direction at work.
These behavioural profiles—Builders, Embracers, Drifters, Resistors, and Destroyers—provide a lens for understanding where people are on the path toward innovation readiness, says Purcell.
In Canada, 9% are Builders; 30% are Embracers; 41% are Drifters; 13% are Resistors; and 7% are Destroyers, according to the “Capability to Innovate” report.
The report “is a national wake-up call for employers and proves that ‘innovation’ is more than just a buzzword; it’s a way of thinking and learning,” argues Dan Giurescu, CEO of credentials verification platform Credivera.
“Companies that really want to move the needle on innovation and develop game-changing technology must focus and apply resources towards training their talent,” he said.
