Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
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Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

www.hrsdc.gc.ca

Sector Councils Program Information

Sector councils are national partnership organizations that bring together business, labour and educational stakeholders. Operating at an arm’s length from the Government of Canada, sector councils are a platform for these stakeholders to share ideas, concerns and perspectives about human resources and skills issues, and find solutions that benefit their sector in a collective, collaborative and sustained manner.

Through the Sector Council Program, the Government of Canada is working with the private sector to enhance adult workers’ skills through activities such as:

  • increasing employer investments in skills development; and
  • promoting workplace learning and training.

The Government of Canada supports sector councils in key sectors of the Canadian economy, including but not limited to:

  • automotive
  • aviation
  • biotechnology
  • child care
  • environment
  • mining
  • petroleum
  • policing
  • steel
List of Canada’s Sector Councils

Program objectives

The Sector Council Program is guided by four principal objectives:

  • Increased industry investment in skills development to promote a quality workforce;
  • A learning system that is informed of, and more responsive to, the needs of industry;
  • Reduced barriers to labour mobility, leading to a more efficient labour market; and
  • Enhanced ability of industry to recruit and retain workers and to address human resources issues.

Activities

Through the support of the Sector Council Program, sector councils undertake a number of activities to respond to skills and labour market issues affecting their sectors, including the development and implementation of:

  • labour market information products to allow businesses to plan human resources and project investments;
  • national occupational standards to facilitate labour mobility (including apprenticeship), influence college curricula and promote health and safety in the workplace;
  • targeted recruitment and skills development initiatives to increase labour force participation and integration of under-represented groups such as Aboriginal people and immigrants;
  • education partnerships leading to curriculum that meets industry needs;
  • skills development tools, including e-learning;
  • essential skills initiatives; and
  • tools and approaches to integrate foreign-trained workers.

Skills Tables

In addition, the Sector Council Program is supporting the development of skills tables, which are temporary (3-5 years), not-for-profit organizations that bring together key stakeholders to collectively identify human resource needs and plan for solutions to key labour market challenges facing a region of Canada.

Key stakeholders can include:

  • industry;
  • labour;
  • federal and provincial-territorial governments;
  • the training community; and
  • other groups (e.g. Aboriginal organizations).

How do sector councils differ from skills tables?

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Date Modified:
2011-08-30