Adapting a changing economy
Premier Kathleen Wynne, speaking at a conference at Durham College, has launched a panel looking at how the province can adapt to the changing global economy.
By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express
It’s no secret that the world’s economy is changing – and Ontario wants to be a part of that change.
Speaking at a conference at Durham College, Premier Kathleen Wynne launched a panel that will be looking at how to adapt the province’s workforce to thrive within the changing economy.
“Ontario has a reputation already in the world as having a highly skilled workforce, and we want to retain that because it is one of the things that gives us a competitive edge,” Wynne said during a press conference. “The world is vastly different from when I graduated from university. The employment landscape is shifting, creating new kinds of jobs, redefining skill requirements for others. We’re looking at rapid urbanization, globalization, digitalization, and we have to take a closer look at how and what young people are learning as they prepare to enter the workforce.”
The Highly Skilled Workforce Strategy Expert Panel, with five members appointed at the end of 2015, “will develop a strategy to help the province’s workforce adapt to the demands of a technology-driven knowledge economy,” according to a news release announcing its creation.
The panel is headed up by Sean Conway, a former MPP for the Renfrew area and a holder of several cabinet positions under Premier David Peterson, including, universities and colleges, education and mines.
The panel is expected to deliver its report in the fall.