I’ve had countless conversations with CEOs, business owners and community leaders about the same issue: talent.
Everyone is looking for great people.
We spend a lot of time talking about how to attract skilled workers to Alberta, and rightly so. We want businesses to invest here, entrepreneurs to build here and talented people to choose Alberta as the place to grow their careers.
However, I think we’re missing an equally important part of the conversation. The next generation of Alberta’s workforce is already here. They’re sitting in our classrooms today.
As another school year comes to a close, I’ve been thinking about that a lot.
One of the privileges of leading Junior Achievement (JA) is getting to spend time with young people who are just beginning to discover what they’re capable of. This year alone, more than 40,000 students across Northern Alberta participated in JA programs. I’ve watched students pitch business ideas with confidence, solve real-world problems as teams and discover strengths they didn’t know they had.
One of the things that surprises me every year is just how quickly students grow when someone believes in them.
Somewhere in Alberta today is the entrepreneur who will start a company that creates hundreds of jobs. The engineer who will solve problems we haven’t even imagined yet. The electrician, software developer, accountant, healthcare professional or skilled tradesperson who will help keep our economy moving.
They’re already here. The question is whether we’re investing in them early enough.
I don’t see education as just a responsibility of our schools. I see it as one of Alberta’s smartest economic development strategies.
The skills employers need today – communication, problem solving, adaptability, financial literacy and teamwork – aren’t developed overnight. They take years of practice, encouragement and exposure to the real world.
That’s where business has such an important role to play.
One of my favourite parts of this job is watching business leaders spend time with students. They often arrive wondering what they have to offer. Then, they spend a morning in a classroom or evenings mentoring a Company Program team, and afterwards they say the same thing to me.
“I think I got more out of that than the students did.”
For a student, it can be the moment they begin to picture themselves in that career, that industry or even that boardroom. I’ve had so many volunteers tell me afterwards, “I don’t know if I made much of a difference.” I always smile when I hear that because I know the students would probably tell a very different story.
Alberta will always need to attract talented people from around the world, but we also have an incredible opportunity sitting right in front of us. We have thousands of young people with the curiosity, creativity and drive to build the future of this province.
The question isn’t whether they’re capable. It’s whether we’ll invest in them early enough.