WatSPEED’s executive director and associate vice-president, innovation, Sanjeev Gill, is sharing his thoughts on enabling a dynamic workforce amidst rapid technological advancement and unpredictable change.
As part of a panel discussion at this year’s Waterloo Innovation Summit, Gill joined Carol Leaman, CEO, Axonify, Norah McRae, associate provost of co-operative and experiential education, Stephen Harrington, partner, human capital at Deloitte, and Esteban Veintimilla, co-founder and CEO of 1Mentor. Together, they highlighted the need to reconsider traditional models of workforce development and examined how leaders must redefine policies and best practices to ensure organizations remain competitive in our post-pandemic economy.
One key topic of conversation was the need for organizations to extend their talent development beyond addressing skills gaps – looking more closely at how workers are equipped to find purpose, lead change, adapt, or achieve important business outcomes.
Sanjeev Gill, Associate Vice-President, Innovation and Executive Director, WatSPEED (left) and Carol Leaman, CEO, Axonify (right)
“There’s tremendous value in deep industry partnerships, but only if we’re designing education that has business outcomes in mind,” says Gill. “The fastest emerging skills needed by companies have absolutely nothing to do with technology – critical thinking, emotional intelligence, social influence, resiliency, adaptability, and the importance of leadership. So, you have to have a complete lens when you look at what’s needed by industry.”
As the discussion continued, the panel highlighted that agile partnerships between industry, government, and academia can help ensure our workforce is successfully prepared for the future of work and lifelong learning.
“Academic institutions can’t think about going after professional education without deep partnerships,” continued Gill, later adding that retention is linked to how much an organization commits to investing in their talent long-term. “In today’s environment, if you have an employer who is going to invest in you constantly, keep you up to speed, and keep you relevant, that creates purpose and makes people want to stay.”
Additional guest speakers at the Waterloo Innovation Summit, which garnered an audience of approximately 300 virtual and in-person guests, included several talent development experts, who emphasized how the talent evolution is transforming the work force in Canada and our global economy.
As the workforce continues to shift in Canada and on a global scale, employers and employees are rethinking their approach to talent development to address attraction, recruitment, retention challenges and upskill teams to navigate rapid disruption.
Watch the full recording of Enabling a Dynamic Workforce as part of this year’s Waterloo Innovation Summit: