Sector Council Program (SCP)

Together, the Government of Canada and sector councils are building the skilled workforce that a prosperous and productive Canada needs

Sector Councils

Sector councils are permanent organizations that bring together representatives with different perspectives from key stakeholder groups in an industrial sector. Sector councils deal with human resources issues and share a commitment to identify and act on the skills needs that are most important to a given sector, including:

The Government of Canada is working with the sector councils to identify which skills are needed today, and will be needed tomorrow, so that Canadians can compete more effectively in a rapidly changing labour market.

Sector Council Program

In helping to nurture a culture of continuous learning, the Government of Canada recognizes that human resources challenges affect industries or sectors differently. But no one government or organization can build a skilled workforce; it must be a national, collaborative, effort.

Sector Councils focus the attention and commitment of industry partners to take action by developing human resources solutions that are specific to their sector or industry. By acting as a bridge between firms, and permitting collaboration and collective action on skills issues, sector councils promote economies of scale in addressing human resources challenges, which benefits all industry partners. The Government of Canada supports these initiatives as a facilitator, helping these groups come together and take ownership of their human resources issues.

This sectoral approach is also an important platform for industry to engage the learning system on a national level, ensuring that the skills being developed are responsive and relevant to the needs of employers.

Benefits for workers

• Practical and relevant on-the-job training;
• Adaptability to changing and/or new workplace environments;
• Improved job mobility; and
• Fuller participation in the workforce.

Benefits for business

• New services for their workers;
• A strong voice in developing training to meet their needs;
• Increased industry relationships, nationally and internationally; and
• A competitive edge in the knowledge-based economy.

Benefits for learning institutions

• Effective industry relationships;
• Curricula responsive to industry needs; and
• Expanded enrolment.

Ultimately, the activities of sector councils help employers and workers by creating solutions that are tailored to a sector's needs. Having industry work with educators and trainers makes the Canadian learning system more responsive to the needs of the labour market. Workers get the skills they need and employers get a skilled workforce.

Program Objectives

To maximise results and overall impact, the Sector Council Program is supported by four key pillars:

Growth - Broadening the scope
Expanding the network of sector councils to cover 50% of the labour market.

Excellence - Optimizing performance
Strengthening the ability of sector councils to demonstrate results and sustain impact in addressing workplace skills issues.

Innovation - Sharing creative solutions
Supporting and promoting new and effective practices in human resources planning and wokplace skills development.

Synergy - Strengthening linkages
Positioning sector councils to deliver on horizontal policy issues by collaborating with the learning sector, and other key partners.

National Industry Profiles

Sector and occupational studies are forward-looking analyses of current and future human resources development needs, issues and challenges facing a particular industry or occupation, such as the supply and demand of skilled labour, the impact of changing technology, the need for skills upgrading and the adequacy of existing training.

Other Sectoral Activities

In addition to providing start-up funding to help sector councils build their capacity to address industry or sector-specific issue areas, the Sector Council Program supports activities in several other key areas.

Sector Council Program Funding

Find out about what funding is available under the Sector Council Program and who is eligible to apply for funding.

Other Useful Links

• List of Sector Councils

Other Sectoral Links

• The Alliance of Sector Councils (TASC) 
• The Association of Canadian Community Colleges Affinity Groups