RURAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE KNOWLEDGE BRIEF WINTER 2016 KNOWLEDGE BRIEF Youth Workforce Development A skilled and engaged labour force is critical1–3. Workforce Development is a broad umbrella with every sector having an important role to play. If you consider workforce development broadly it includes any actions related to education, training, and skills development, such as Kindergarten to grade 12 education, post-secondary education, professional job training, placements/ apprenticeships, career advancement, lifelong learning, and everything in between3–7. 'Workforce’ is defined as those preparing to enter or currently within the workforce, those currently outside the workforce, those who are unemployed, and those who are disadvantaged or marginalized. Youth can fit across this spectrum. Under the workforce development umbrella is the engagement of key actors from schools to employers to economic development actors to local government, as well as the required supports and resources (e.g., financial resources, information, etc.). Workforce development includes or links to community engagement, learning enrichment, skills building, career development, attraction, retention, and many more. Collaboration is critical to workforce development – including collaboration within and across sectors8–13. While collaboration can be challenging4, workforce development is both broad enough and complex enough that a single initiative or single actor is not enough to affect real change. Workforce development must also be contextually appropriate – there is no one size fits all solution and the nuances of different places should inform local actions1,3,5,6. The more partners are involved, the more information can go into designing programs. When it comes to youth, workforce development is closely intertwined with community engagement, training, skills development, attraction, and retention. Reinforcing the point regarding collaboration, much of the related literature points to initiatives involving youth as requiring a collaborative, multi-partner approach14–20. Learning is a partnership including: youth, parents, teachers, employers, and the surrounding community21. The education sector is increasingly seen as a key part of building the workforce12. This is seen in many examples, such as partnerships between employers 1.888.953.1133 www.cbrdi.ca KNOWLEDGE BRIEF YO U T H WO R K FO RC E D E V E LO PM E N T and community colleges, as well as building links between education, business, and industry12. Other youth specific strategies emphasize the need to ensure youth are aware of career opportunities – something the Province of New Brunswick specifically notes as requiring collaboration between government and educational institutions22. However, while many post-secondary institutions are active participants in workforce development, the K-12 education system in Canada has untapped potential4. Examples from other places demonstrate ideas and areas for development. For example, the rural community of Alta, Norway has a program where elementary schools are given information on business creation and the role of the private sector in the community, as well as initial skills building in the business sector23. In secondary school students are encouraged to gain business skills through practical experience with a youth enterprise program23. In another example, Purdue’s Research Park hosts an Entrepreneurship Academy, providing math, science, and technology based skills and experience to high school students24. REFERENCES 1. Atlantic Provinces Economic Council. Meeting the Skills Challenge: Five Key Labour Market Issues Facing Atlantic Canada. (2012). at 2. Powell, A. Improving workforce development. Ind. Commer. Train. 34, 176–181 (2002). 3. International Labour Office. A Skilled Workforce for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth. (2010). at 4. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Upskilling the Workforce : Employer-sponsored Training and Resolving the Skills Gap. (2013). at 5. Giloth, R. P. Learning from the Field: Economic Growth and Workforce Development in the 1990s. Econ. Dev. Q. 14, 340–359 (2000). 6. Meléndez, E. in Communities and workforce development (ed. Meléndez, E.) 1–34 (W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 2004). at 7. Ministry of Jobs Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour. Regional Workforce Tables. at 8. OECD Education and Training Policy Division. Learning for Jobs: Meeting Labour Market Needs Pointers for policy development. (2010). at 9. OECD. Learning for jobs: summary and policy messages. (2010). at When it comes to youth and workforce development there is a need to consider: I. retention II. training III. engagement IV. existing examples and lessons learned both at home and away. 10. Uhalde, R. Workforce development that supports economic development. Econ. Dev. J. 10, 42–49 (2011). 2 Rural Development In s t i t u t e K N OW L E D G E B R I E F W i n te r 2 0 1 6 11. Ingenia Consulting. Kootenay Regional Workforce Table: Regional skills training plan 2013-2020. (2013). 12. Leary, W. Building Tomorrow’s Workforce. Divers. Community Coll. Spec. Suppl. December, 28–30 (2012). 13. Industry and Parliament Trust & UK Commission for Employment and Skills. Youth Skills Commission. (2014). at 14. Peterson, D. J., Newman, M. E., Leatherman, J. & Miske, S. Engaging Youth, Serving Community. Reclaiming Child. youth 23, 37–41 (2014). 15. Northam, K. The Challenge of Youth Engagement in Local Government: Exploring the Use of Youth Councils in Amherst and Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. (Dalhousie, 2014). doi:10.1016/S0022-3913(12)00047-9 16. Liu, Y. Exploring Strategies for Rural Youth Retention: A Case Study of the Town of Goderich, Huron County, Ontario. (University of Guelph, 2015). 17. Learning together for local innovation: promoting learning regions. (Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2007). at 18. NB Youth Strategy. A Youth Strategy for New Brunswick Final Report. (2011). at 19. Mirza, R., Vodden, K. & Collins, G. Developing Innovative Approaches for Community Engagement in the Grand Falls-Windsor - Baie Verte - Harbour Breton Region. (2012). at 22. Government of New Brunswick. Be our future: New Brunswick’s Population Growth Strategy. at 23. Sustainable development in the Circumpolar North. in The Gargia Conferences for Local and Regional Development (2004-14) (eds. Gjertsen, T. & Halseth, G.) (The University of Northern British Columbia’s Community Development Institute and The University of the Arctic’s Thematic Network on Local and Regional Development in the North, 2015). 24. Indiana Council for Economic Education. Overview of Entrepreneurship Programs - NCI Wired. KNOWLEDGE BRIEF YO U T H WO R K F O RC E D E V E LO PM E N T 20. Hamm, Z. E. Enhancing Rural Community Sustainability through Intergenerational Dialogue. (University of Alberta, 2012). 21. Longworth, N. Learning Cities, Learning Regions, Learning Communities: Lifelong Learning and Local Government. (Routledge, 2006). Ru ral De v e l op m e n t I n stitu te K N O W L E D G E B R I E F Wi nter 2 0 16 3 YO U T H WO R K FO RC E D E V E LO PM E N T The Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute, at Selkirk College, is a regional research centre with a mandate to support informed decision-making by Columbia Basin-Boundary communities through the provision of information, applied research and related outreach and extension support. This report is part of the RDI food systems research project which is funded by the Real Estate Foundation of BC and Columbia Basin Trust. www.cbrdi.ca 1.888.953.1133