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Omar Yaqub

In boom-and-bust Alberta, it's feast or famine for schools - The Globe and Mail - 0 views

  • As Alberta’s population spikes and shifts with a booming economy, its education system has become a tale of two realities – one with hundreds of millions in new spending and a glut of students, and another facing hundreds of teacher layoffs, empty classrooms and budget shortfalls.The province, facing a baby boom in some areas that will add another 100,000 students to its enrolment by 2020, on Tuesday announced that it will spend $550-million over the next several years to build 22 new schools and renovate another 13.
  • Some of the new schools will open as early as 2014. They are largely for the boom towns – including two in Fort McMurray, home to the oil sands – which have drawn young workers starting families and made Alberta the only province in Canada to experience a growth in school enrolment in recent years.“You’ve got to do it. Our school population is growing and we need that space,” said Education Minister Dave Hancock.While many applauded the future infrastructure spending, it contrasts with present-day austerity. School boards across the province are facing major budget shortfalls this year – $100-million altogether, by one estimate – that will almost certainly mean hundreds of teaching jobs will be slashed. Boards in Calgary and Edmonton have closed low-enrolment schools in recent years as young families priced out of the downtown real estate market flee to the suburbs.Some wonder why the province is building new schools while slashing services in existing ones.“I think it was a complete shock to everybody. As we’re facing up to 1,000 teacher [position] cuts – that’s our estimate – all of a sudden here’s this big announcement for $550-million,” said Sharon Armstrong, vice-president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association. “Do we need facilities? Absolutely we do, but the situation is we also need to maintain that teaching force.”
  • Mr. Hancock rejected the argument, saying education funding has grown substantially over the past decade and will grow again as oil revenues recover from the economic downturn.“We’ve had to ask people to tighten the belt a little bit, but it’s a tough budget year,” the minister said. “We’ve got to start [building] now while prices are low. We’ve got to invest in buildings in key areas where there’s a very significant need. … [Program funding] will pick up again as things go forward.”This year’s budget, which projects a $3.4-billion deficit in a province accustomed to surpluses, cut programs and reduced overall funding to all 62 of Alberta’s school boards. The Edmonton Public School Board is cutting 344 full-time jobs next year because of budget shortfalls, including 229 teaching jobs. The Calgary Board of Education projects it will cut another 280 positions.The “dichotomy” between an infrastructure splurge and programming cuts is part of Alberta’s boom and bust cycle and leaves school boards frantically slashing or hiring from year to year, said Jacquie Hansen, president of the Alberta School Board Association. The group has pressed the province for long-term, predictable funding agreements.“While it’s good we’re looking ahead in terms of our capital, we’re in tough times today,” Ms. Hansen said. “We tend to budget based on what our oil and gas revenues are doing, and we need something more stable.”
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  • The funding was approved last week by the province’s Treasury Board and will be budgeted over the next several years. The government did not say where the money will come from. Among the communities getting new schools are Airdrie, a Calgary suburb; Fort McMurray; and Beaumont, an Edmonton suburb. Edmonton and Calgary, which have roughly two-thirds of the provincial population, won’t get any new schools. (They have benefited from previous infrastructure programs, Mr. Hancock said.)Although careful not to criticize the infrastructure spending, Edmonton Public School Board chair Dave Colburn said program funding also needs an increase. The board had just over $50-million in reserve funds two years ago, and will have drained those entirely by 2012.“Believe me, it’s not a matter of infrastructure versus classroom needs. We need appropriate levels of funding in both areas,” said Mr. Colburn, whose board will receive money to renovate two schools. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
Omar Yaqub

Young Entrepreneurs Create Their Own Jobs - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • Mr. Gerber is also starting the Gen Y Fund, from which young entrepreneurs can seek funding.
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    Mr. Gerber is also starting the Gen Y Fund, from which young entrepreneurs can seek funding.
Omar Yaqub

ICCI: Key Features of the program - 0 views

  • main funding process occurs once a year using a standard application process.
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    main funding process occurs once a year using a standard application process.
Omar Yaqub

Alberta Culture and Community Spirit - Community Initiatives Program (CIP) - 0 views

  • The general funding limits under this program are: Project-Based Grants - maximum $75,000. Community Operating Grants - maximum $75,000.
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    potential website funding
Omar Yaqub

The Way We Culture: Edmonton's Plan for Multiculturalism? - 0 views

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    With 24%, or almost one in four Edmontonians having immigrated to Edmonton in their lifetime, Edmonton is certainly a multicultural city.(1)  With the population now more than 722,260 people, there are over 180,565 neighbours, coworkers and friends in Edmonton whose comforts of urban culture and urban design are likely somewhat to very different than the Canadian status-quo. Based on the language spoken at home, Figure 1 shows the nation of origin of many new Edmontonians, including 40% from India, the Philippines and China, thousands from Germany, the Ukraine, Poland, Spain, the Middle East, Vietnam and many other countries. Edmonton is home to over 70 different ethnic groups.(2)  This multiculturalism could be called one of the backbones of the Canadian identity - and one which the Canadian government continues to pride itself on at national and international levels. At our municipal level, the City of Edmonton has stated it "acknowledges the diversity of Edmontonians and [has charted] a course of inclusion where all people can be confident of the opportunity for success in [the] city".(3) However, to truly plan for a multicultural city we must include and go beyond hosting food and dance fairs and funding cultural associations. To build a city that is reflective of its people means to provide room for the very public spaces and culturally-relevant buildings that inhabit and nurture the essence of urban culture that exist in its people's way of being. So how does the City of Edmonton contribute to the celebration and accommodation of the diversity of its citizens through the built form? The City's newly released 'Ways' documents including The Way We Grow (Edmonton's Municipal Development Plan (MDP) for urban growth) and The Way We Live (Edmonton's plan for community development and social service delivery) provide some insight to Edmonton's plans for cultural inclusivity through urban design using a livability framework.(4, 5) From the MDP Th
Omar Yaqub

ICCI: criteria-criteres - 0 views

  • Assessment Criteria
  • CRITERION 1: Strategy (20 points)How well does the project fit into the community’s strategic economic development plan? Is the application consistent with DFAIT priority target sectors and markets?How well does the long-term planning principles apply to this project?Is there a BR&E program in place in the applicant’s jurisdiction?How well does the applicant demonstrate the value of the project to the community?
  • CRITERION 2: Project Components (20 points)How well do the project components support the applicant’s FDI strategy?Are the activities sufficiently focused?Is the budget consistent with the costs for these types of activities?Has the applicant provided relevant documentation to support the request?
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  • CRITERION 3: Performance Measures (20 points)How would you rank the proposed project and their expected outputs/outcomes? How well does the application provide valid anticipated outcomes: what will be measured, how these will be measured and which performance indicators will be tracked? Do the identified measures suit the overall project?Would the community be able to demonstrate success or readjust its strategy based on the measures identified?
  • CRITERION 4: Capacity (20 points)Has the community identified an internal lead on the project?Does the community have the matching dollars to complete the project?Is the applicant solely responsible for completing the project, or is there a joint model for governing the project?  Is the applicant likely to utilize the funding requested?Is there sufficient human resources and a credible governance structure is place to ensure that project reports and documentation will be maintained and delivered?
  • CRITERION 5: Work Plan (10 points)Has the community established reasonable timelines, a list of key milestones, and identified key deliverables?Is the proper signing authority in place on the application with a project manager designated?
  • CRITERION 6: Partnerships (10 points)Is the community working with other organizations on its FDI strategy?Is the community incorporating other sources of matching funds into its application?Does the community understand the value of partnering on marketing initiatives?Is the community part of a larger network of organizations or represent a regional approach to investment marketing?
  • Other factors to consider in final decision:What is the applicant’s recent history of utilizing the program?Is the proper signing authority in place on the application with a project manager designated?
Omar Yaqub

http://www.finance.alberta.ca/economic-development/regional/community/funding-programs-... - 0 views

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    lists all of the various provincial and federal economic development grant opportunities. This document was compiled by Alberta Finance and Enterprise but it hasn't been updated since November of 2010. I had that it was more up-to-date. 
Omar Yaqub

http://premier.alberta.ca/PlansInitiatives/economic/RPCES_ShapingABFuture_Report_web2.pdf - 0 views

    • Omar Yaqub
       
      work with the federal government to change the immigration system - to help address critical shortages of workers at all skill levelsIt is in the interests of all Canadians that the Alberta economy remains strong. To realize the full potential of the oil sands and broaden the economic base, the province will need people from outside the country as well as migrants from other parts of Canada. The provincial government and industry must collaborate in demonstrating to the federal government the critical need to at least double the caps on the provincial immigrant nominee program. Advocate for immediate changes that allow temporary foreign workers with solid records to apply for permanent resident status while they are still in the country. Continue to work with the federal government to institute longer-term changes to better align the national immigration program with strategies for economic growth, making it more responsive to changing economic conditions and industry's workforce needs.Determine what is getting in the way of swift assessment of foreign trades and professional credentials related to these scarce skills, and remove barriers to full recognition of qualifications that meet Alberta standards. Pre-certify credentials from selected offshore institutions, and create a mechanism that allows all immigrants to determine their credential status before moving here. Expand initiatives such as the Immigrant Access Fund to help immigrants achieve credential recognition.
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    Give a new alberta water authority the mandate to innovate in water stewardship, and realize the full benefit of our precious water assets Alberta needs all its citizens to develop the mindset and skills to thrive in today's world and drive economic growth - to be resilient, lifelong learners, healthy and productive, eager to achieve and perform, globally connected and informed seeking talent around the globe Like other countries with aging populations, Alberta in 2040 will be competing to attract the brightest and the best talent to the province's workforce to fill critical gaps. As early as 2030, demographers predict that domestic workforce growth in Alberta and Canada will have stalled, although higher birth rates in our Aboriginal population could indicate potential for some domestic population growth. Encouraging seniors who wish to stay in the workforce longer to do so could mitigate (but not solve) the problem. Employers could abolish their mandatory retirement age and other policies that discriminate on the basis of age.Employers in this province are already concerned about shortages of people to fill jobs at all skill levels, well aware that energy booms create huge demands for workers in service sectors as well as in construction and labour-intensive oil sands production. The very specialized skills and knowledge essential to success in broadening the economic base are in short supply in the province now because there have not historically been good opportunities in these areas. One key requirement is more people experienced in founding and growing technologybased businesses. While productivity improvements and the application of innovative business models may slow growth in the labour supply gap or change the mix of skills required over the  next three decades, we still expect to see an increasing  need to attract immigrants to the province to fill key gaps  at all skill levels.The number of immigrants to Alberta fr
Omar Yaqub

cic Temporary Foreign Worker Guidelines - 0 views

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    5.30. Canadian interests: Significant benefit-Entrepreneurs/self-employed candidates seeking  to operate a business R205(a), C11 Applicants who have, or may have, a dual intent (see OP11, section 5.4) to seek status as a  worker and then eventually as a permanent resident, must satisfy the officer that they have the  ability and willingness to leave Canada at the end of the temporary period authorized under R183. Permanent resident applicants If a permanent resident applicant has met the definition of ―entrepreneur‖ or ―self-employed‖ (R97 to R101) and has been selected, they may be issued a work permit if there are compelling and  urgent reasons to authorize the entry of the person before processing is complete. They must  demonstrate that their admission to Canada to begin establishing or operating their business  would generate significant economic, social or cultural benefits or opportunities for Canadian  citizens or permanent residents pursuant to R205(a). It is expected that it would be a rare  applicant who could satisfy an officer that their entry into Canada would provide a significant  benefit before their eligibility for permanent residence has been assessed. It should be noted that  any ‗early admission' entrepreneurs must also satisfy the officer that they meet the requirements  of A22(2), that they ‗will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay', if their  permanent residence application is ultimately refused. A work permit should not be granted to  remedy concerns relating to processing times, particularly if serious questions such as source of  funds remain outstanding. Note: Special considerations apply when the application for a work permit comes from a foreign  national who is being considered by a provincial or territorial government for nomination as a  permanent resident. Provinces and territories sometimes identify foreign nationals as  potential nominees, based on their intention to u
Omar Yaqub

Report examines Alberta labour market, impact of labour shortages - News & Events - Uni... - 0 views

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    "Report examines Alberta labour market, impact of labour shortages Study reveals cost of labour shortages, offers recommendations for tackling one of the province's most pressing policy challenges. By Jamie Hanlon on July 18, 2013 (Edmonton) The scope of Alberta's labour shortage and the need for recommendations on how to address it were the catalyst for a year-and-a-half-long study of one of the province's most pressing policy challenges. The University of Alberta's Institute for Public Economics commissioned the study to foster informed debate on the highly relevant policy issue. An Examination of Alberta Labour Markets explains that the opportunity cost of not filling jobs under an economic scenario similar to that outlined in Alberta's 2013 budget is $33 billion in current dollars over four years. Lost personal tax revenue to the provincial and federal governments is estimated to be nearly $6.8 billion over four years. The report emphasizes that several industries risk significant shortages-including retail, hotel and food services, and health care. Edmonton and the Banff-Jasper region are two areas at the greatest risk for labour shortages. To counteract these trends, the report's authors developed a number of recommendations to provide access to otherwise untapped labour groups including mature workers, disabled people and First Nations people. "This comprehensive analysis leads to a number of concrete policy actions that can be taken by both the federal and Alberta governments," said Robert Ascah, director of the institute. "The report's recommendations are aimed at developing a highly skilled workforce, which will benefit all Albertans. "This means attracting the most skilled workers possible and ensuring we are doing everything we can to have apprentices complete their training." The study was funded by the Government of Alberta and 12 associations and unions with an interest in addressing periodic labour shortages in A
Omar Yaqub

ICCI Goals and objectives - 0 views

  • goal of ICCI is to increase total Canadian employment by facilitating the participation of Canadian communities in collaborative efforts to attract, retain and expand foreign direct investment.
  • enhance the capability and effectiveness of Canadian communities to attract employment-creating foreign direct investment (FDI) by providing them assistance in developing foreign direct investment attraction, retention and expansion initiatives. 
  • long-term planning principles and demonstrated cooperation between the private sector and municipal governments. 
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  • help Canadian communities become more effective in dealing with foreign direct investment aftercare and support specific foreign investment promotion initiatives. 
  • encourage intergovernmental cooperation, promote partnerships with the private sector and demonstrate federal commitment to encourage foreign direct investment and retention.
Omar Yaqub

ICCI: Eligible Activities and Expenses - 0 views

  • ICCI supports initiatives that promote and sustain foreign direct investment in Canadian communities.
  • program assists communities in developing the tools needed to attract and retain investment.
  • Typically, a community begins by undertaking basic research to determine its strengths, identify key sectors, and determine the level of investment already located in its territory
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  • Investment training for economic development staff
  • Conducting business retention and expansion research
  • Identifying investment strengths and local assets
  • Developing a community profile to show potential investor
  • Developing and implementing a targeted strategy for encouraging foreign investment
  • Developing and implementing a targeted strategy for retaining and expanding existing foreign investments
  • Developing or substantially upgrading websites for foreign direct investment purposes
  • Implementing strategies to retain or expand the investment of foreign affiliates already located in Canada
  • Eligible Expenses
  • Research and studies: identification of target corporations, comparative competitive analyses, development of business cases, business retention and expansion studies, etc.
  • Economic data: collection of community and economic data for investment profiles, etc.
  • Strategic FDI planning: facilitators, consultant costs, community consultations, development of strategic plans.
  • Website development: development and/or major redesign, addition of significant architecture and functionality.
  • Translation: translation of documents or website content into either one of Canada’s official languages or foreign languages;
  • Promotional materials (print or electronic): design and layout only (printing costs and the pressing of CDs and DVDs are not eligible).
  • Advertising: design and layout.
  • Investment Training including EDAC annual conference: courses as part of the community’s investment attraction and retention strategy for employees of the Community.
  • Consultants/contractors.
  • Ineligible ExpensesResearch activities not associated with investment attraction, retention and expansion. Collection or purchase of statistical data not associated with investment attraction, retention or expansion activities. Development of training courses/modules. Consultants hired to facilitate a training session. Costs associated with hiring consultants to develop ICCI applications. Regular website maintenance and updating web content, site hosting, software licensing, Corporate logo design, costs of printing, pressing CDs, or DVDs, and recording videocassettes. All give-aways: gifts, events/shows/concerts tickets, logo items, cups, mugs, pens, etc. Design and layout of non-investment ads (promoting tourism, for example), cost of ad placement in any media.
  • Travel costs incurred by applicants, partners or consultants not related to training; travel costs incurred by potential investors. Taxes: GST, PST, HST, VAT or taxes applied by foreign governments. Hospitality: Cost of meals or alcohol; lodging; clothing and uniforms; and all give-aways. Trade show/conference participation:  registration fees at international trade shows or conferences  (in Canada and abroad), booth design / purchase / assembly and shipping, design of promotional material specifically for a trade show, overhead costs such as pre-show mailing, stationery and long distance phone calls, research to target companies at a trade show, consultant costs for organizing outgoing missions (including training participants); consultant costs to develop target business cases for follow up with potential investors after show; cost of developing an advertisement (design and layout) for show specific publications. Activities or projects  related to attracting infrastructure for tourism and motion picture industries, e.g: to develop ski resorts, theme parks and film production facilities.
  • Capital costs: infrastructure development, capital expenditures to acquire or enhance assets, software licenses, electronics (computers, fax, machines, digital cameras, etc.), demonstration aids. Capital costs include the direct costs of acquisition, construction, expansion, modification, conversion, transportation, installation and insurance (during construction) of fixed assets, as well as the cost of licensing and franchising fees. Overhead costs: Postage, including postage for direct mail campaigns; phone; office space rental; photocopying. Salaries and benefits of personnel. Miscellaneous: activities to attract investment from inside Canada; costs incurred before the application’s approval date; activities for which one or more partners expect to receive compensation in the form of a commission, finder’s fee, or other form of remuneration; promotion activities related to properties or business investment in which one or more partners receive a personal or corporation financial gain.
Omar Yaqub

Government of Canada Helps Internationally Trained Engineers Get Jobs - MarketWatch - 0 views

  • Engineers Canada received over $785,000 to improve the application process for engineers educated in other countries
  • In 2010, service standards were established so that internationally trained professionals in eight priority occupations, including engineers and nurses, can have their qualifications assessed within one year, anywhere in Canada. This year, the Government has started streamlining foreign qualification recognition for six more target occupations, including physicians and dentists.
  • Budget 2011 announced that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada will test ways to help internationally trained professionals cover costs associated with the foreign credential recognition process, with specific details to be announced shortly.
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  • Foreign Credential Recognition Program aims to improve the integration of internationally trained workers into the workforce. The Program provides funding to and works with the provinces and territories and with stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, post-secondary institutions, sector councils and employers, to implement projects that facilitate the assessment and recognition of qualifications acquired in other countries.
  • Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO)
  • help internationally trained workers receive the information, path-finding and referral services, in Canada and overseas, to have their credentials assessed quickly so they can find work faster in the fields for which they have been trained. The FCRO works with federal, provincial and territorial partners, as well as foreign credential assessment and recognition bodies, to strengthen foreign credential recognition processes across the country. Internet services for internationally trained workers can be found on the FCRO website at www.credentials.gc.ca .
Omar Yaqub

Private sector injects $4M to spur development - Winnipeg Free Press - 0 views

  • fund a major economic development initiative with private sector investment
Omar Yaqub

NorQuest College hopes extension-course revenue can ease budget shortage - 0 views

  • NorQuest College has decided to develop more extension courses, outside the provincially funded system, as a way to cope with uncertain provincial budgets.
  • Health and business will be the primary areas of growth,
Omar Yaqub

Edmonton Social Planning Council - Hidden in Plain Sight: housing challenges of newcome... - 0 views

  • notable increase in housing difficulties experienced by newcomers (nation-wide and locally) increasing reliance on immigration for Calgary’s economic growth intensifying disparities faced by immigrants in finding and maintaining appropriate employment impacts of income and employment disparities on housing outcomes
  • average percentage of immediate family after-tax income spent on housing was 50 per cent 23 percent of responders reported worrying about their housing situation all the time 30 per cent reported that their housing situation was worse in Canada than in their home country only 10 and 7 per cent reported that being close to their cultural/national community and faith community respectively was something they liked about where they live the most commonly reported resource for help with finding housing was friends (60 per cent), compared with 13.5 per cent for family and 12.8 per cent for immigrant services
  • increase the number of affordable housing options that are appropriate for newcomers in terms of size, location, and proximity to amenities ensure settlement funding recognizes housing as critical to settlement and provides adequate resources enhance collaboration and communication between the homeless and settlement sectors to increase joint program design, planning, and service delivery for newcomers
Omar Yaqub

Productivity key to increased personal - and national - luxuries - thestar.com - 0 views

  • What if, however, you were told most of your mortgage or all of your rent could be paid off instantly, or you could send your kids to a national daycare program? Still bored? Yet that’s exactly what could have happened if Canada didn’t have a productivity gap with the U.S., according to Roger Martin, dean of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
  • Canada trails the U.S. in GDP per capita by $9,300. In 1981 that gap was only $2,600. If we got back to the 1981 gap, the average family would see their disposable, after-tax income go up by $8,800, according to the institute, which is the research arm for the task force chaired by Martin.
  • That would be like having almost all the mortgages and rental payments disappear. It would be like having enough money to pay for a national child-care program and still have enough left over for the biggest tax cut in history
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  • Lest you assume productivity gains are more a concern of free marketers and other pro business forces, that extra income would generate another $76 billion in tax revenue for various levels of government, according to the institute. That would be enough to pay for a national daycare program, fund the healthcare recommendations by the Romanow Commission, cover the cost of Canada’s commitments under the Kyoto Accord, and pay for a $55 billion tax cut.
  • what’s behind the gap?
  • Canada’s resource boom, a lack of innovation by Canada’s businesses, and a lack of investment in new, more efficient equipment are the three biggest causes
  • resources are hard to find. . . . By becoming more focused on resources, we’ve hurt our productivity numbers
  • tar sands are particularly bad for productivity numbers because of the sheer amount of time and effort of extracting the oil,
  • lack of innovation can also partly be blamed on the size of Canada’s resource sector,
  • Because it’s easy to make big amounts of money extracting and exporting resources; businesses haven’t had to innovate. Our abundance of natural resources is actually something of a curse,
  • In business sector spending on R&D, Canada ranks a disappointing 17th among OECD countries, and when it comes to innovation, the World Economic Forum rates us 19th, far behind the United States, Germany and Japan,” Macklem told a Calgary audience. Macklem also pointed out Canadian companies don’t spend much on new, efficient equipment. That means it takes a Canadian longer to make whatever’s being produced, whether it’s clothes, widgets or iron ore. That pushes down productivity.
  • “It will take a lot more than just freeing our private sector. … None of that works. In fact, it takes a deliberate state strategy,” argued Stanford, pointing to countries such as Finland.
  • “Economists, policy makers and corporations have been too focused on the denominator, and not enough on the numerator. … People always say ‘gee, it’s too bad that auto plant closed, even though it was really efficient and made things quickly.’ Well guess what? If the price of the car gets cut to $10,000 because it’s something nobody wants to buy, that affects productivity numbers too.”
Omar Yaqub

Is Canada's Innovation Performance Really So Bad? - Joshua Gans - The Conversation - Ha... - 0 views

  • Canada lags behind in R&D spending and also possibly in patents secured by businesses. But in my research on this topic, I had long regarded Canada as a solid performer, especially compared with Australia. My research was based on an econometric methodology (initially design by Michael Porter and Scott Stern, but refined by myself and Richard Hayes) designed to forecast a country's innovative capacity — that is, not what innovation is taking place but instead what innovation is likely to occur in the future.
  • Rather than focus on a specific result, such as patent performance, this research derives an index from broader fundamentals. When the experience of many nations is pooled, it becomes clear that certain factors play a robust and persistent role in innovation. These include inputs into R&D (including capital and labor) and, more surprisingly, the public share of education in gross domestic product expenditure (rather than overall education), the level of intellectual property protection (stronger is better), R&D funded by industry (as opposed to government) but performed within universities, and the degree of specialization.
  • Indeed, compared to other OECD countries, Canada's innovation index puts it at the very top of second tier innovators and at number seven in the world. (The top ten comprises the U.S., Finland, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Germany, Iceland, and Norway.) While this does not suggest that Canada should be complacent, it does suggest that the gap emphasized in Canada's Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity report is not as worrying as it might appear. Canada has innovation challenges but they are not at the level faced by Australia.
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  • If I had to speculate — I have not yet examined the underlying numbers for Canada — I would posit that the gap is related to trade and to Canada's proximity to the U.S.. Canadian businesses, especially innovative ones, focus on the U.S. market; further, it is likely that the best innovations get snapped up by U.S. firms. To be sure, this is a perfectly legitimate commercialization strategy — selling out to established firms — but it is the sort of thing that shows up poorly in aggregate statistics. If that is the case, the issue may not be Canada's encouraging more innovation but ensuring that Canadian policies are consistent with facilitating export in ideas as much as export in physical products.
Omar Yaqub

Multicultural meritocracy - 0 views

  • Yezdi Pavri, vice-chairman of professional services firm Deloitte in Canada. "There is a competitive business advantage to having a diverse workforce and drawing from the widest talent pool possible. At Deloitte we have created an inclusive meritocracy. We have proven just as other organizations have that diversity leads to innovation. When you capitalize on the different experiences people bring you come up with better solutions. Now, many of our clients push us to have diverse teams. The worst thing you can do these days is go to a client with a team of five white men because that does not represent what the market or what our clients look like.
  • Here then are some strategies small businesses can use to attract and retain skilled immigrant workers:
  • "Make it known that as a small employer you are interested in hiring skilled immigrants,"
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  • ALLIES [Assisting Local Leaders with Immigrant Employment Strategies] is an umbrella organization that reaches across the country. It's a good place to start
  • Conduct interviews in the applicant's first language. "From a recruiting perspective, we are out looking for people with the right skills and often we will find individuals who have tremendous technical capabilities but English may be a struggle and so they have trouble representing themselves in an interview situation,"
  • "If we bring someone on board, we go through an extensive orientation process and part of that includes offering them the opportunity to take English language courses or other types of assimilation courses. We also fund continuing learning across our teams. That is a value for us and it helps us retain our talent." Thales Canada's Toronto location has a 95% reten-tion rate among new immigrants.
  • Create a buddy system. "We partner every new employee with a buddy who is not their coach or manager and who helps them navigate Deloitte,"
  • "What is the right way to dress? What are the right cultural protocols? People coming from other parts of the world don't have the common protocols we take for granted. This buddy system has been tremendously effective. A couple of years after a skilled immigrant has joined us and assimilated into the culture, they are often the most keen to act as buddies to new people coming in.
  • Start small. "We piloted our strategy, nurturing our leaders and instituted cultural awareness training,"
  • "Organizations like TRIEC can help you with cultural training, often at no cost. This will help you identify cultural differences and then figure out ways to address them tactfully."
Omar Yaqub

NAIT hammered by would-be apprentices@ 200% capacity - Connect2Edmonton - 0 views

  • Funding shortages are forcing NAIT to shelve a massive expansion project which administrators say is badly needed to address Alberta's shortage of skilled workers.
  • She said there are more than 62,000 apprentices in Alberta, with 100 new ones registering every day, yet the province has training spots for only half that number
  • Andrews said NAIT hopes to eventually increase annual enrolment to 105,000, up from the 72,000 students currently in full-time, part-time and continuing education programs.
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  • NAIT is already struggling to meet skyrocketing demand, Kuntz said.
  • operating at more than 200-per-cent capacity, NAIT can accept only 15,800 apprentices each year, she said.
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