U of T and Palette Inc. announce novel partnership to drive reskilling of Canadian workers displaced by shifting global economy

The University of Toronto and Palette Inc., a national non-profit organization, today announced a partnership to explore and develop bold new strategies and solutions to equip our nation’s current and future workers with the tools they need to contribute and succeed in Canada’s rapidly changing economy.

Within the past decade, digitization and automation has affected Canada’s labour market significantly, a trend that is now accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes across many industrial sectors are highlighting the need to upskill diverse and non-traditional workers. Led out of the Faculty of Arts &Science at U of T, this partnership addresses the need to find immediate solutions to support individuals disrupted by the shifting global economy.

“The pandemic has been devastating,” said Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, and Palette’s newest board member.

“This collaboration enables our leading researchers and scholars to connect with industry leaders and other institutions in the development of the tools, training and support needed to make a direct and lasting impact on the Canadian economy, further improving the lives of Canadians.”

Palette, with a mission to meet the talent needs of Canada’s most innovative companies by upskilling displaced workers, will draw upon the University’s relationships and increasing insights and knowledge around the demands of the workplace and the future of work. The partnership will further support Palette’s mission of creating a Canadian workforce where everyone has the skills they need to thrive, and employers can easily find people with the right skills and experience to grow their companies.

“We fundamentally believe in the limitless capacity of people to adapt to change and learn new skills, provided they are given the right opportunities and support,” said Arvind Gupta, CEO of Palette and a professor in the Department of Computer Science in the Faculty of Arts & Science at U of T.

Gupta further stresses the need to be nimble and responsive and to advance our understanding of how the adoption of new technologies influences labour markets.

“This partnership will increase our ability to re-engage, retrain and redeploy talent across the economy into stable, high quality jobs in growing industries. A concerted effort to upskill Canadians on a national scale will make our country stronger and more competitive which will, in turn, benefit the global economy.”