ANTICIPATING JOBS OF THE FUTURE:
DEVELOPING DIGITAL TALENT
Presented by Wendy Cukier, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Ryerson University
June 4, 2013
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OVERVIEW
Context
Digital Skills are the Foundation
The Challenges
The University of the 21st Century
Fuelling the Digital Innovation Ecosystem
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DIGITAL SKILLS ARE THE FOUNDATION
Elements of Canada’s Digital Strategy
Physical
Infrastructure
Digital Skills
Capacity to Innovate
Content Advantage
Strong ICT Industry
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What are Digital Skills?
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What gets measured gets done:
Benchmarking Digital Skills
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Measurements of Digital Literacy
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Measurement of Business Technology (MoT) Skills
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e-Business skills: “strategic and related in particular to innovation
management, rather than technology management” (European ESkills Forum)
Measurement of “Deep Technology” Skills
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Often based on ability to access technology (OECD, International
Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) survey in 2011)
“Deep” technology skills are based on narrow measurement of the
number of advanced degrees in engineering and computer science
What about content?
Measurement of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
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Entrepreneurial mindset; intentions; processes; outcomes (Eg.
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor)
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[Longish term] Planning when you
cannot predict
Top 10 Trends for 2013 (Gartner)
• Mobile Device Platforms Battles (Consumerization)
• Mobile Architectures and Application Tools (Touch Optimized)
• Cloud and growth of Personal Cloud
• Enterprise App Stores
• The Internet of Things
• Hybrid IT and Cloud Computing
• Strategic Big Data
• Actionable Analytics
• In Memory Computing
• Integrated Ecosystems
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THE CHALLENGES
Skills shortage (?)
The innovation gap
Planning when you cannot predict
Disruption in post secondary education
The catch 22’s of employment and innovation
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Skills “shortage”
• Aging population
• Critical skills shortages
• US data shows universities producing 10% of computer
scientists needed.
• High tech companies in Waterloo, Canada have vacancies they
cannot fill in the middle of a recession.
• Female participation in computer science and engineering has
not improved in 25 years
• Catch 22s
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Need to work upstream (Besecke and Reilly, 2006 )
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Under-employment
• Jobs that required unskilled workers in past now need training as
a result of technological change and different processes/systems.
• about 65% of all new jobs created over the next five years are
expected to require some form of post-secondary.
• By 2016 there will be almost 450,000 unskilled workers who
will not be able to qualify for existing skilled vacancies
• Engineers and doctors driving taxis: Average immigrant is
better educated but under-employed
• Catch 22 – No experience no job. No job no experience
• Undervaluing of non-STEM graduates and skills
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Skills Mismatch: People without jobs.
Jobs without people.
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Fundamental to a digital skills strategy is the matching of
talent (supply) to employment needs (demand).
ICT organizations claim that there is a skills shortage
Many segments of the population – for example
internationally educated professionals (IEPS) and recent
graduates claim there are not enough jobs or that they are
under-employed
Certain segments of the population (women, visible
minorities, Aboriginal people, and people with disabilities)
are under-represented within the ICT sector
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Changing role of the University
The University of the 14th (20th?) Century: A battlefront
KNOWLEDGE
VERSUS
THE ECONOMY
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Challenges to post secondary education
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Established systems and structures
Increased competition and new technologies
Increased demands for responsiveness
Demands for breadth AND career readiness and employability
Rate of change relative to planning cycles and absorptive
capacity
• Needs for job creation
• Eroding resources: doing much more with much less
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“We won’t be fooled again” (The WHO)
“We’re facing a serious capacity issue in our universities. The problem is not that
we don’t have enough students who want to become engineers and scientists
and computer programmers. Our sustained growth and on-going success in a
competitive global marketplace require large numbers of new Canadian
graduates in computer science, electrical and computer engineering, physics, and
mathematics.”(Roth, 1998)
Access to Opportunities Program (ATOP) spent $150 million over three years
into Ontario universities to address these skills
“Technological skills are not the only need. When Industry Canada first became
interested in the software industry in 1987, it assumed that the industry's biggest
problem was a lack of programmers [but] the real problem was finding sales and
marketing people…."Marketers are harder to find than engineers." (CATA, 2001)
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THE UNIVERSITY OF THE 21st CENTURY
“Laddered” Curriculum
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Deep technology skills (Computer Science) & Content (RTA Media)
Technology and Management (BTM)
“Soft skills”; digital specializations, bootcamps, SSH pilot project
Innovative Pedagogy
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Informal, Experiential Learning; Coop; unique model of “Zone education”
eLearning and blended models, shift to facilitation, learning to learn,
competency based credentials (badges)
Adaptable Faculty
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Combine theory and practice; teaching skills are valued
Basic and Applied Research
Committed Partners
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Internships, experiential learning opportunities, investments
Customized Support for Learners
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Assessment, career counselling and support - WhoPlusYou
SOME bridging and targeted: immigrants, aboriginal students
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Building the culture of innovation: next
gen entrepreneurs
• Canadian business schools: one-third the rate of entrepreneurship US
business schools - OECD, 2010
• Entrepreneurship is not in the genes, it is a mindset and an approach
that can be taught – Peter Drucker, 1996
• You can’t learn surfing from a textbook - Michael Lazaridis, 2002
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Entrepreneurs and Innovators:
Born or bred?
ENTREPRENEUR
Start with perception of
an opportunity
Bias toward action
Make adjustment as
they go
Build teams and informal
networks
Focus on impact
MANAGER
Start with resources in
hand (budget)
Bias toward analysis
Formal structure
Work independently and
autonomously
Focus on traditional
metrics
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Growing entrepreneurs
EXECUTION
ENGAGEMENT
AWARENESS
Workshops
Events
Competitions
SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
APPLICATION
Internships
Business Plans
Zones
ACCELERATION
Financing
Growth
Sustainability
Courses, Case
Studies and
Projects
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Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Action
• Experiential learning opportunity for students to team with other
disciplines, collaborate with other innovators and the experience in
developing an idea from concept to implementation
• Stimulating Canada’s emerging digital economy
• Employment ready graduates, more experienced and ready to hit the
ground running
• Innovative new business creation opportunities for Canada: successful
start-ups and organizational innovation
• A driving force in Canada’s innovation landscape
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FUELLING THE DIGITAL INNOVATION
ECOSYSTEM
Education
(Students
and Faculty)
Government
Suppliers
Users (Consumers,
SMEs, Industry,
Government, NGOs)
Financiers
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Embrace Market Driven Innovation
Idea Generation
Needs
Identification
Evaluation
Prototyping
Implementation
and Adoption
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21st Century University
No “ivory towers”: embedded in the community to meet societal needs
Erode barriers among disciplines, institutions, stakeholders
Focus on career readiness, agility and job creation
New models of curriculum and delivery – flexible, responsive, scaffolding
Value “real world” experience and applied research
Protecting traditional and quality while embracing change
Align reward system to strategy
Real time research into employment trends and skills, teaching and
learning (eg. Ryerson Research Institute for Skills and Employment RRISE)
• Develop graduates with range of diverse skills and ability to learn
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What else is needed
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Alignment of policies, systems and funding models to support innovation
Incentives to private sector to do its part (internships, training, research)
More than STEM! (Science Technology Engineering and Math)
Bias free job analysis and recruitment – soft skills are hard!
Support for diversity and inclusion (bridging, targeted programs)
Promote technology adoption and government as a model user
Separate the hype from the reality
Performance metrics and rewards
Evidence based, agile policy and action: planning when you cannot
predict
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Thank you