Lead Department: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
Start Date of the Horizontal Initiative: Ongoing
End Date of the Horizontal Initiative: 2006-2007 and ongoing
Total Federal Funding Allocation: $84 million over five years and $26.5 million ongoing

Description

The Sector Council Program supports research and project-based activities proposed by Sector Councils, as well as ad-hoc national sector like organizations working on skills and learning issues.

SCP supports sector council activities that include:

• sector human resources studies that identify current and emerging trends and skill needs;
• occupational/skills standards that describe skills and knowledge needed to perform competently in the workplace;
• building strong business-education linkages and relationships that result in core curriculum tailored to industry requirements;
• projects that assist Councils and other sector groups to ensure that workers can get the skills required for the workplace; and,
• programs to build the infrastructure and institutional capacity needed to implement human resources strategies.

Shared Outcome(s)

While the specific goals of the industry-sponsored Sector Council may vary, depending on the particular needs of the sector, some interests and objectives are common.

In the short-term, the Program and Sector Councils will continue to work in partnership to:

• develop new and innovative solutions to human resources and skills issues; by
  • increasing consensus and understanding of skills, occupational needs and labour market issues;
  • increasing availability and use of products and services to help industry address their human resources issues;
  • enhancing labour market transition (facilitating labour market entry and career progression); and
  • enhancing collaboration, action, and investment by industry.
• address current and emerging skills and human resources issues by:
  • increasing sectoral capacity - by sharing best practices and innovative ideas between councils and across sectors and industries;
  • encouraging learning systems to be more responsive to the labour market - by developing educational curricula that develops and refine skills needed by industries and employers in Canada's labour market ; and,
  • promoting the workplace as a learning place - by encouraging employers and industry to increase training investment in their employees.

Governance Structures

As previously mentioned, SCP works in partnership with the aforementioned organizations in order to deliver on its mandate; and as such, the Program is in a "shared accountability regime". Some of the program outcomes that SCP is mandated to achieve are directly linked to the performance of its partners and therefore, the accountability for achieving these outcomes should be shared.

SCP contributes to HRSDC's commitment under Chapter 7 of the Agreement on Internal Trade by supporting professional bodies in the development of Mutual Recognition Agreements. Once completed, these Mutual Recognition Agreements provide a plan for recognizing the credentials of professionals who move from one province or territory to another.

Note: There are also national organizations with the mandate to address skills issues. While they do not form sector councils, they often work with industrial/occupational sector councils to address issues related to one or more councils.

Partners

• Federal departments responsible:
  • Human Resources Skills Development Canada
• Non-governmental organizations
• Private sector organizations

Contact

Eric Parisien
Director
Sector Council Delivery
(819) 994-4360