24 August 2020
To Whom It May Concern
The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce is pleased to write to you to offer our support for Planet Hatch’s application to the Future Skills Centre call for proposals for Shock Proofing the Future.
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has had a severe and immediate impact on the job prospects of recent and future graduates, while accelerating longer term trends such as the adoption of new technologies that will displace workers and significantly disrupt the Canadian labour market as a whole. The scale of the challenge is significant, with some studies estimating over 50% of occupations in Canada will require a significant skills overhaul by 2028, and 62 per cent of executives saying their staff would need to be retrained due to automation.
In preparing for the future of work, it’s critical to double down on the skill sets technology is not yet able to perform. Hands-on, human-centric jobs will be difficult for AI and machine learning to replicate and the skills they employ (such as emotional intelligence, creativity, and problem solving) are in greatest demand by employers right now. However, employers are having increasing difficulties in identifying talent with these skills. These skills also align with those found in the most successful entrepreneurs, and it can be reasonably posited that in the future of work, every occupation will require individuals with entrepreneurial skills to fill them.
The proposed Future of Work Skills Development program by Planet Hatch is an innovative solution to this challenge that promises to promote resiliency amongst current and future entrants to the Canadian labour market. The objective of the program is to future-proof the Canadian labour force and accelerate ROI for employers on new hires through targeted skills-training with integrated experiential and self-directed learning.
The proposed program aims to engage over 250 participants in its first year through partnerships with secondary and post-secondary educational institutions, youth organizations, and the private sector. Participants will receive skills-training addressing 12 top in-demand future of work skills, while (perhaps more importantly) getting the opportunity to use and refine these skills through various integrated experiential and self-directed learning opportunities.
Future of Work skills to be addressed through the program include: active/ self-directed learning; creativity, originality, and initiative; critical thinking and analysis; reasoning, problem-solving, and ideation; analytical thinking and innovation; complex problem-solving; systems analysis and evaluation; leadership and social influence; emotional intelligence; workplace readiness; and implementation.
Since its inception in 2013, Planet Hatch has supported the creation of 257 startups, creating 572 jobs while engaging over 1,000 students in programming enabling unique experiential learning opportunities tied to startup support. As a founding member of the Atlantic Passport program, Planet Hatch has demonstrated their ability to foster cross-provincial collaboration and scale program access for participants. There is no doubt that the Planet Hatch team has the experience and expertise to successfully deliver the proposed Future of Work Skills Development project.
The proposed program will assist in achieving the objectives of the Shock Proofing the Future by not only addressing the immediate employment challenges of individuals and organizations hit hardest by COVID-19, but addressing longer term trends that will change the way we work forever. We thoroughly look forward to seeing this program coming to life and the anticipated results it will achieve.
Sincerely,
Krista Ross, CEO, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce