HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2014-01-15, Page 3Wednesday, January 15, 2014 • Huron Expositor 3
Canada has education smarts, United Way assembling
something amiss in work world steering committee
Kelly Pedro
QMI Agency
We've got the brains, but not the bucks to get
the biggest bang for our smarts.
Canada produces among the highest level of
high school graduates in the developed world
and more than two-thirds of Canadians have
college or university educations, a just -released
survey shows.
But something gets lost — a missing piece of
the puzzle, one researcher calls it — between
the smarts we have, and how it's used in the
work world.
And that leaves Canada far behind in global
competitive rankings.
Part of the missing link, the Conference Board
of Canada says, is the money needed to turn
innovative ideas from smart people into eco-
nomic muscle.
"We have in Canada what we call a commer-
cialization problem. We do quite well but indus-
try hasn't quite figured out how best to use the
graduates that we have," Daniel Munro, the Con-
ference Board's principal researcher, said
Wednesday.
Canadian businesses are spending less on
workplace learning and employee training than
they did 20 years ago, which is part of the prob-
lem, he said.
"You're getting people coming out of univer-
sity and college who are, in some respects, ready
to go and not getting the kinds of training and
orientation that they used to 20 years ago," he
said.
"They're not as well trained in how to actually
use their skills on the job in ways that would
benefit employers."
A new Statistics Canada report shows Canada
ranks third in the world with its percentage of
high school graduates, 89%. But when it comes
to economic competitiveness — in which edu-
cation looms large, along with innovation and
other factors — Canada ranks 14th in the latest
survey by the World Economic Forum.
Munro says Canada rates a D in innovation.
That's partly why we lag behind much smaller
countries, such as Switzerland, Singapore and
Finland, in competitiveness.
"We have issues with business investment in
research and development, and businesses —
relative to their international peers — are more
complacent in bringing products to market
quickly," Munro said.
We seem to have no problem attracting the
brightest, the recently -released Statistics Can-
ada survey showed.
How We Stack Up
Top nations by high school grad rates:
Czech Republic 92%
Slovak Republic 91%
Canada 89%
Average among developed countries 75%
Top provinces by high school grad rates:
B.C. 92%
Ontario 91%
Alberta 89%
Source: Statistics Canada
Competitiveness Rankings
1) Switzerland
2) Singapore
3) Finland
4) Germany
5) U.S.
6) Sweden
7) Hong Kong
8) Netherlands
9) Japan
10) United Kingdom
14) Canada
Source: World Economic Forum
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Q101 Agency
The United Way of Perth -Huron needs
steering committee members for its mul-
ticultural association.
A core group has been set up for the
association but the agency is looking to
expand its volunteer roster.
The Multicultural Association of Perth
Huron (MAPH) started last November to
facilitate full participation in community
life and to foster cultural diversity.
The association hopes to promote the
attraction and retention of newcomers in
the community and local workforce; act
as a "referral hub" for newcomers to
Perth -Huron; complement and enhance
newcomer services currently provided by
other community organizations; educate
the community at large about living in a
multicultural society and promote har-
mony among diverse communities by
highlighting and celebrating similarities
and unique cultures in the counties.
The association also seeks to promote,
advance, preserve and develop inherited
culture and arts.
The United Way is looking for two vol-
unteer steering committee members to
help develop, approve and monitor work
plans and budgets; commission and
evaluate research and reports and assist
in fundraising and grant applications.
Other duties will include providing
guidance to MAPH volunteers and/or
staff members and discussing issues and
promoting the association in their
communities.
Potential volunteers should have good
organization and planning skills, inter-
personal skills and an ability to work
cooperatively within a team environ-
ment. They must also have a commit-
ment to the principles of multicultural-
ism and inclusiveness.
Experience with fundraising, grant
applications, volunteer management and
personal experience as a newcomer to
Canada are considered assets.
Anyone interested can contact Jessica
Morrow at 519-271-7730 or at: jmorrow@
perthhuron.unitedway.ca.
South West LHIN
RLISS du Sud-Ouest
•
1 1
Connie Emmerson and I
Helen Wright
South West LHIN residen
•
Working Together to Improve Health Care
Services for Huron County Residents
Public Information Session
Learn About:
How Health Links can improve access to health services for you and your family
Mary Atkinson and Lindsay McGee, North Perth Family Health Team
How the Community Care Access Centre can connect you with care
Donna Ladouceur, South West Community Care Access Centre
How the iPods for Memories program is helping older adults with dementia
Cathy Ritsema, Alzheimer Society of Huron County
When: Tuesday, January 21,2014
Time: 7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Huron County Museum, 110 North Street, Goderich
Cost: Free
This event is wheelchair accessible
For more information, please call: 519-672-0445 or 1-866-294-5446
e-mail: southwest@lhins.on.ca
www.southwestlhin.on.ca
Ontario
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