The Keewatin Career Development Network

Executive Summary

The Keewatin Career Development Network

Submission to the Human Resource and Skills Development Canada

Workplace Skills Initiative

Keewatin Career Development Corporation

October 31, 2005

1. Executive Summary

Name of Applicant Organization

Keewatin Career Development Corporation (KCDC)

Project Title

Keewatin Career Development Network (KCDN)

Goal of the Project

To create a sustainable distance learning based career development network that will improve the productivity of organizations by providing employers with opportunities to grow the talent of their workforce. The project will focus on the specific skill development and networking needs of employers and workers in rural, remote and Aboriginal communities in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Objectives of the Project

The project will reach the following objectives in order to meet its goal:

Build the network infrastructure and web interfaces necessary to run the career development network
Provide employers and workers with new skill development and connection opportunities through the career development network
Provide employers with access to current human resource (HR)development processes, consultations, and training sessions on human resource planning
Create awareness of the network and its benefits to employers in rural, remote and Aboriginal communities in Saskatchewan and Alberta
Grow activity to the point that the network can sustain itself through usage fees by the end of the WSI project
Measure the effectiveness of the network by analyzing success in meeting the goal and objectives and by measuring accomplishment of expected outcomes.

Objectives Support the Goal

Achieving the listed objectives will lead to the goal in a logical sequence. Building the network will enable employers to access HR processes and training. Providing the training will lead to productivity improvement. Creating awareness of the network will lead to greater activity on the network. Network activity at an optimal level will lead to the sustainability of the network.

Meeting Objectives of WSI

The KCDN project meets objectives of the WSI program in the following ways:

by using innovation in applying ICTS to bring skill development opportunities to workers in small communities
by offering employersopportunities to practice improved HR management through the network
by providing skill identification through the Test of Work Essential Skills (TOWES)
by providing employers and employees opportunities to join a training and human resource development network

Methodology of the Project

The overall methodology of the project will be that of building human and technical networks. The human network will provide employees with skill testing using the Test of Essential Workplace Skills (TOWES), skill development training, and networking opportunities. The human network will also provide employers with information and tools to implement human resource development strategies.

The technical network will make the interactions necessary for a dynamic human network possible from a distance. This will enable small and medium enterprises (SME’s) in rural, remote, and Aboriginal communities to plan and provide skill training for their employees at a reasonable cost.

Target Employment Sectors

The KCDN project does not target a specific sector. However, because the project is designed to operate in small communities, participant employers will be primarily SME’s. First Nation Band offices, Metis community offices, health offices, and schools make up a large segment of the employers in the core network communities. The retail and service sectors and small contractors are also represented in small communities. Resource based industry may have employees based in smaller communities, and also could use the network’s communication tools to connect with potential employees.

Key Activities

The KCDN project’s key activities will be in organizing the human neworks, and implementing the technical networks necessary to make the project work. Activities around organizing the human network include: establishment of a project advisory group, promotion of project to employers, liaison work with training providers, and provision of catalyst for mentor programs. Development of the technical network will include: establishment of video conferencing bridge service, Helpdesk and technical support for network sites, and design of the web interface for the network.

Expected Outcomes

The project will provide employers in rural, remote, and Aboriginal communities in Saskatchewan and Alberta with a distance skill development network for their employees.
The project will provide employers with information about current human resource management strategies and will use ICT tools to enable them to put these strategies into practice.
The project will enable employers to retain and develop staff during the future predicted time of skill shortages.
The project will enable employers to connect with the Aboriginal workforce in rural, remote, and Aboriginal communities through ICT tools.

Project Deliverables

Network agreements with sites that have expressed interest.
Establishment of project advisory committee
Network web interface with functionality as described in section 4.05
Network technical services and Helpdesk
Network video conferencing bridge service
Establishment of real time skill development seminar delivery by video conference
Establishment of skill development course delivery by desktop e-learning
Establishment of employee mentorship and networking program
Establishment of network as distance skill development delivery vehicle
Project progress reports as required by HRSDC
Project evaluation report
Project final report

Evaluation Framework

KCDC will use a monthly reporting system to analyze progress in meeting timelines and achieving outcomes. Evaluation of project effectiveness will be provided through feedback collected from network users and through formal external evaluation of the project’s effectiveness in achieving proposed outcomes. External financial audits of KCDC activities are carried out yearly and will be available to HRSDC.

Communication and Dissemination Activities

The project will communicate with network sites, employers, and training providers through its web interface, e-mails, video conferences, fax, and newsletters. Media releases will be issued when significant milestones have been reached.

Name of Project

Keewatin Career Development Network (KCDN)

Introduction

Canada and the world are on the edge of a demographic shift that will severely affect the availability of skilled labour. The working age population is rising, and fewer young people are entering the workforce to take the place of older workers when they retire.

At the same time, Canadian jobs demand more skill than in the past. There is some question if the capacity of training institutions will be able to fill the growing demand for skilled workers and whether the graduates will be fully prepared when they enter the workforce. These increased skill requirements in addition to an aging workforce will cause definite shortages in some occupations.

Western Canada is already starting to see labour shortages. There are already many positions that are hard to fill in health care occupations and skilled trades. These shortages are most acute in rural and remote communities which have been hit hard by out-migration.

With the labour market tightening up considerably, many employers are developing human resource management strategies to help them gain an edge in recruiting and retaining talent. These strategies go beyond paying more for wages and investing more in recruitment efforts. Many employers are now interested in developing and engaging their employees through training and networking. These processes are more difficult for employers in remote, rural, and Aboriginal communities because of the distance from training providers and large networks of workers.

At the same time that the general population of Canada is aging, the Aboriginal population is displaying a totally different age distribution. The Aboriginal population is young and entering the workforce at the same time that the aging baby boomers of the mainstream population are leaving. This means that the aboriginal workforce, particularly in western Canada, is well-positioned to fill the jobs vacated by retiring baby boomers. The challenge for the Aboriginal workforce is to gain the skills necessary for today’s jobs.

The Keewatin Career Development Network (KCDN) is designed to help employers in rural, remote, and Aboriginal communities in Saskatchewan and Alberta meet today’s labour market challenges. The network will enable employers to provide skill development and networking opportunities for their employees, and will connect employers with workers in Aboriginal communities.

The KCDN will feature innovative use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide skill development opportunities for workers. The network will reach into Aboriginal, rural, and remote communities through a core of sites that already have high end video conferencing equipment in place. The sites use broadband connectivity delivered by the Supernet in Alberta and Communitynet in Saskatchewan.

The Workplace Skills Initiative (WSI) project will develop the network and its services. Seminar-type skill development will be developed for delivery by two-way video conferencing that replicates a session with an instructor in a training room. Longer courses will be developed for delivery through desktop e-learning systems that enable instructors and learners to interact in a virtual classroom setting. A Learning Management System (LMS) will be available to employers to help track their employees’ progress. Skills assessment inventories, including BowValleyCollege’s nationally recognized Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES) will be available to employers to assist them in identifying the training required and requested by their employees.

The KCDN will use ICTs in other innovative ways in addition to the delivery of training. A mentorship and networking program will be set up by video conferencing to give employees the opportunity to grow from the experience of others. Network sites that install video conferencing capability will be able to use that powerful technology for business meetings and communications. In addition, video conferencing sites in many locations in Aboriginal communities will be available for employers to use for conducting job interviews.

Training providers will be encouraged to develop skills seminars and courses and deliver them by distance through the network. The network will have a calendar of available training from various suppliers that employers can choose from and in which they can register their employees.

Courses and seminars will be offered on a fee basis. The WSI project will build the network infrastructure and activity on the network to the point that it will be sustainable as a stand alone operation after three years.

When KCDC meets its goal of creating a distance learning-based career development network that will improve the productivity of organizations, the following far reaching outcomes will be achieved: employers will be able to provide critical talent with opportunities for growth and development; employers will have access to information about current human resource management strategies; employers will be better positioned to face the upcoming period of skill shortages; and employers will be better able to connect to the Aboriginal workforce.

A conceptual drawing of the KCDN is provided below: