Introduction Canadacanbealeader inthecleaneconomyof thefuture. Tofulfill that promise, targetedinvestmentsmust bemadeinCanadianworkers. That’stheonlywaythat Canadiancompanieswill haveaccesstotheskillstheyneedtomaximizetheir productivityandcompetetowinintheworld. ProvidingmoreCanadianworkerswithaccesstoupskillingprogramswill creategreateropportunityfor employeesandbetter support industryastheglobal economyevolves. Without meaningful investment inour workers, Canada’sbusinesseswill struggletoachievetheir full potential andour transitiontoasustainablefuturewill beslowed.

SustainableJobs TheGovernment of Canada’scommitment toNet-Zeroby2050will bringamajor shift inindustryprioritiesanddemands. Thisenergytransitionisalreadydrivinginvestmentsincleanenergyandtechnology. Canada’sworkforceneedstokeeppace. Whenacompanycan’t findtheskilledworkersit needs–or whenaworker withyearsofexperiencedoesn't qualifyfor anewjobbecausetheylackacertainskill –thenbothcompanyandworker fall short of their potential. Thiscreatesadoubledragontheeconomy, costingbillionsinunrealizedeconomicvalueandsuffocatingCanada’sabilitytoinnovate.

Asthegovernment turnsitsattentiontosustainablejobs, it isvital that labour-market changesandshortagesbeunderstoodandaddressedinreal time. Canadaneedsaresilient workforcethat canadapt toaconstantlychangingenvironment andprioritizeslifelonglearning. Investinginupskillingisthebest waytoensurethereissufficient workforcecapacity, equippedwiththelatest cleantechnologyskills, tomeet theneedsof industry.

TheJust Transition,bridgingworkersfromonejobtoanother inthelow-carboneconomy, must includeupskilling.Andit must reflect thegenuineneedsandprioritiesof industrytoensureworkershavethebestopportunitytosucceedasCanada’seconomymodernizes. Upskillingisadaptableandresponsive. Astechnologyadvancesandindustrydemandsevolve,upskillingprogramscanrespondquickly, buildingout programmingandhavingworkerswithtransferableskillsreadytofill vacancieswithinashort periodof time.

Inthisway, upskillingstandspoisedtoprovidetrainingfor sustainablejobsandensurethatindustryneedsarebeingmet. 1 Recommendations: ● Ensuresustainablejobsprogramsarerootedinthevalidatedneedsof employersandkeystakeholders, whoshouldtakeanactiveroleindefininglearningoutcomes.● Support workersbyfundingupskillingprogramsthat will allowthemtousetransferableskillsandrapidlytransitionfromonejobtoanother withinthegreenindustry.● Support workerswithnon-Canadianexperiencetoupskill intosustainablejobswithCanadianemployers.● Focusinvestmentsonequity-deservinggroupstobringmorediversityof backgroundsandknowledgeintocleantechnology.● IncludePaletteSkills, aspart of theUpskillingfor IndustryInitiative, intheSustainableJobsPartnershipCouncil.● WorktocreateaNational WorkforceInnovationStrategytoensureCanadacancapitalizeonitstalent advantage.

About PaletteSkills PaletteSkillsconnectsfast-growingCanadiancompanieswiththetalent theyneedtogrow,compete, andsucceed. Anational nonprofit, PaletteSkillspartnerswithemployers, nationalbusinessassociations, leadingacademicinstitutions, andother nonprofitstodevelopanddeployrapidupskillingprograms. Our model deliversrapid, high-valuetrainingthat empowersjobseekerstofill vital positionsincutting-edgeindustries. Withour networkof partners, PaletteSkillsplaysaroleincreatingamoregloballycompetitiveandinclusiveeconomy.

PaletteSkillspilotsandevaluatesnewapproachestoupskillingandworkforcedevelopment,creatinganecosystemof continuousimprovement andinnovationthat isnecessaryfor Canadatoreachnet-zero.

Wemeet Canada’supskillingneedsthroughaone-windowsolution:● Canadianscanaccessskillsassessmentsthat alignwithour programs, positioningthemfor newandbetter jobopportunities.● Deliverypartnerscontributetocreatinganational, viableupskillingecosystemthatmeetstheongoingneedsof industry.● Employershireandbenefit fromthisupskilledtalent, whichimprovestheir abilitytocompeteandwininthemarketplace. 2 Upskill Canada In2023, PaletteSkillswasselectedbyInnovation, Science, andEconomicDevelopmentCanada(ISED) astheleadpartner for their Upskillingfor IndustryInitiative. Theresult of thisfundingpartnershipwasUpskill Canada.

TheUpskillingfor IndustryInitiativewascreatedtoensureCanada’sworkforcecouldadapt toindustryneeds, andemployerscouldfill high-demandpositions. Throughthisinitiative, PaletteSkillsisset toupskill 15,500individualsandplaceaminimumof75%injobswithCanadiancompaniesover athree-year term. Our aimistoconnect small- andmedium-sizedbusinessesinhigh-growthindustrieswithuntappedtalent pools, includingracializedindividuals, newcomers, immigrants, andolderworkers. 3