CTV Toronto explores Peel Districts School Board’s innovative teaching practices as a result of their 21st century learning mandate.
C21 Canada Comments on International PIAAC Report
Toronto, Ontario CANADA, Tuesday, October 8, 2013: Today’s release of an international survey on adult competencies in the 21st century is a wake-up call for Canadians. Although Canada scored well relative to many participating countries, Canada is not in the top group of performing nations.
The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) was conducted by the OECD and focused on three primary areas of adult competency (ages 16 to 65): literacy, numeracy and digital literacy. The specific findings can be found on the website of the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC) at http://www.cmec.ca/. CMEC is comprised of Ministers responsible for learning, skills and labour development and provinces are the constitutional lead for education in Canada.
The Honourable Jeff Johnson, Minister of Alberta Education inherited the Chair of CMEC a mere week ago. In a meeting today with education and industry stakeholders he listened carefully to the opportunities and challenges identified as a result of the PIAAC findings. “He is clearly a leader who is focused on moving the 21st century learning agenda ahead in Canada, in partnership and collaboration with all stakeholders.” says John Kershaw, President, C21 Canada. The fact that C21 Canada was invited to a special briefing session with Minister on the PIAAC findings speaks well to his interest in reaching out to groups and organizations who are actively engaged in and supportive of the call for changes in Canada’s learning systems.
Although the real work of deciphering the data from the OECD survey now begins, the key messages C21 Canada takes away from the PIAAC findings and the Ministers briefing session this morning include:
1) Although Canada’s ranking is relatively positive, we have much work to do to position Canadians with the competencies they need for success in the 21st century;
2) Canada is not in the top group of performing nations, and there is wide regional variation in performance across the country.
3) There is a direct link between highly skilled people with 21st competencies and future economic prosperity and social progress;
4) CMEC and Minister Johnson are committed to leading a national discussion on how to ensure Canadians achieve the competencies they need for success and will be model collaborators in this process;
5) OECD’s PISA results, to be released December, will continue to fuel the national discussion on learning and skills development;
6) The call for change is emanating from many quarters, both internationally (OECD) and nationally (Equinox Summit in Waterloo http://wgsi.org/).
C21 Canada advised Minister Johnson and CMEC officials that our organization is committed to supporting their efforts to convene educators, business leaders and other societal stakeholders and promote a national dialogue on the need for 21st century models of learning and skills development in Canada.
About C21 Canada
C21 Canada is a unique blend of national education associations and knowledge sector businesses united in their belief that 21st century models of learning must be adopted in public education on an
urgent basis to position Canadians for economic, social and personal success in the high skills, knowledge and innovation based economy.www.c21canada.org
C21 Canada Founding Members: Canadian Education Association, Calgary Board of Education, Canadian School Boards Association, Dell, EF Educational Tours, IBM, Microsoft, Nelson Education, Oxford University Press, Pearson, Scholastic Education, SMART Technologies.
Secretariat: 21st Century Learning Associates, MindShare Learning
For media inquiries, please contact:
John Kershaw, President, C21 Canada
Phone: (506) 470-4985
E-mail: John.Kershaw@c21canada.org
Website: www.c21canada.org
Robert Martellacci, Vice-President, C21 Canada
Phone: (416) 569-2106
E-mail: Robert.Martellacci@c21canada.org
Website: www.c21canada.org
International Report Shows Canadians are Adapting to the Digital Skills Era
TORONTO, October 8, 2013- A major international study released today by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that Canadians are increasingly embracing information and communications technologies (ICT) and are well positioned for the society and economy of the 21st century.
The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is OECD’s first-ever international study of skills needed for today’s world. PIAAC measures skills in literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments (PS-TRE) among adults between the ages of 16 and 65, in 24 countries and sub-national regions. In Canada, more than 27,000 people were surveyed to allow findings at both the pan-Canadian and provincial and territorial levels as well as among off-reserve Aboriginal peoples, immigrants, and official-language minorities. PIAAC was sponsored in Canada by provincial and territorial ministries and departments responsible for education, under the aegis of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), and other partners. The survey was administered in Canada by Statistics Canada. As well as the OECD report, a companion pan-Canadian report is being released today.
Read the OECD Skills Outlook 2013 here.
Read the full Survey of Adult Skills (PIACC) here.
Creating a 21st Century Learning and Skills Agenda
By John Kershaw, President of C21 Canada and the former Deputy Minister of Education for New Brunswick.
In today’s innovation driven and competitive world, highly skilled people are the new economic and social drivers. In this context, there are two core questions facing leaders in Canada and the United States: How to nurture creative and innovative talent; and how to address the current skills gap. Along with C21 Canada, Career Cruising is poised to play an important role on both fronts.
In the knowledge and digital age value added knowledge creationdrives innovation. Thus, the demand for creative and innovative people is escalating and is emerging as one of the key elements of the global skills gap. C21 Canada is a national coalition of education and business leaders advocating for changes in Canada’s public education systems to address this reality. OurShifting Mindsvision document calls for an enhanced focus on 21st century competencies and use of modern technologies to position Canada with creative new leaders and a highly innovative workforce. The Partnership for 21st Skills is active on this same front in the United States (http://www.p21.org/).
Better understanding the complexities of the skills gap is a prerequisite to collaborative action. Despite its growing public profile, few fully understand the nature and scope of the issue. In addition to fostering the aforementioned 21stcentury competencies, other elements of the skills gap are noted below.
In his book People Without Jobs Jobs Without People Rick Miner explains how Canada’s aging demographic means fewer people available for the workforce, creating a gap in available talent for employers. Exacerbating this issue is the relatively low literacy levels of some workers, limiting their ability to upgrade their skills to stay current with changing work requirements.
A gap also exists in the field of trades, partially resulting from many parents and educators discouraging youth from pursuing this career path. Mike Rowe, a popular actor in the United States, is speaking extensively on this topic and hasfounded an organization to address the issue. Fewer entries into trades coupled with baby boomers retiring are creating a gap between supply and workforce requirements.
Similarly, too few youth are pursuing the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Most of society’s technology innovations originate in these fields and increasing the number of STEM students is a prerequisite to any country’s future competitive position.
On October 8, 2013 the OECD will release the findings of its inaugural international survey on adult competencies. The survey will provide an unprecedented glimpse into whether the participating countries are equipping their citizens with the competencies and skills they need for success in the 21st Century.
What does this all mean? It means that what we teach, how we teachand how we assess learning,must change. It also means we must do a better job of educating people of all ages about career opportunities and how to adapt in a world where innovation is creating a complex and constantly shifting environment. C21 Canada is building awareness of the need for more relevant and engaging models of learning and Career Cruising is offering a suite of programs and services designed to better align people’s interests with existing and emerging careers. If we are successful on both fronts, instead of suffering through an ongoing skills gap we will instead create a learning and skills agenda for the 21st Century.
John Kershaw of C21 Canada on The Agenda with Steve Paikin
John Kershaw of C21 Canada appears on The Agenda with Steve Paikin: Learning 2030: Disengaged and Excluded
Live from the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario, The Agenda asks: Who are the students who get the least out of the existing educational system? Will a radical reform of the educational system that is driven by technology change that level of engagement? The first in a five-part examination of future learning at the Equinox Summit: Learning 2030.
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