National Advisory Group on Workforce Development (NAGWD)

NAGWD originated out of

1. Recommendations arising from the Canadian Addiction Treatment Workforce Survey, in particular those pertaining to the development of standards and competencies and the need for relevant and accessible education and training;
2. The identification of Workforce Development as a priority of the National Framework for Action to Reduce the Harms Associated with Alcohol and other Drugs and Substances in Canada (National Framework) and subsequent thematic workshop, held in March 2005

CCSA led in the formation of NAGWD, recognizing the need to work in partnership with key stakeholders in the development of a National Strategy on Workforce Development to address key priorities, and to link the work of NAGWD to other priorities of the National Framework; in particular, Treatment.

Objectives

• To identify key issues related to workforce development that would benefit from national leadership
• To make recommendations regarding those areas identified by the committee for attention
• To make high-level recommendations concerning the mechanisms necessary to support these recommendations [e.g., communities of practice]
• To develop a list of guiding principals for Workforce Development that would inform the development of a national conceptual framework

Activities

To date NAGWD has commissioned the review of international perspectives on workforce development and a discussion paper, "Towards a Model System of Services and Supports for Addictions", in preparation for the National Thematic Workshop on Improving the Quality, Accessibility, and Range of Options to Treat Harmful Substance Use Including Substance Use Disorders (Treatment), which took place in Toronto, on Oct. 24-25, 2006. NAGWD members also play a key advisory role in the development of a new national Web-based resource designed specifically for Canada's substance abuse workforce.

Membership