Career Development and LMI Archives - SRDC

Understanding Entrepreneurship Among Postsecondary Students in Ontario

Wallaa Daramlly — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:06:53 +0000

This project studies entrepreneurship activities among Ontario’s postsecondary graduates using the Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform (ELMLP). The analysis uses two waves of the National Graduates Survey (NGS) to identify graduates who engaged in entrepreneurial activities during their studies. These activities included starting a business, completing entrepreneurship-related coursework, participating in pitch competitions, visiting entrepreneurship centres, or working on social entrepreneurship projects. Measures of program characteristics, demographic attributes, and institutional types provide a detailed profile of entrepreneurial engagement among student groups.

To assess the relationship between entrepreneurship and post-graduation outcomes, the study links NGS responses with administrative data from the T1 Family File (T1FF) within the ELMLP environment. These linked data support analyses of employment status, self-employment, earnings, job satisfaction, and job skill match, enabling a more complete understanding of the labour market trajectories associated with entrepreneurial engagement. Together, these integrated data sources provide evidence of both the characteristics of students who engage in entrepreneurship among Ontario graduates and the labour market outcomes of entrepreneurial experience during postsecondary education.

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Trade and Geopolitical Trends Analysis for the Environmental Sectors

Wallaa Daramlly — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 18:42:17 +0000

Working with ECO Canada, SRDC conducts a qualitative assessment of how major global economic and geopolitical shifts are reshaping conditions for Canadian industries and their workforce needs, with a special focus on the environmental sectors. Recent developments – including trade wars, evolving geopolitical alignments, and uncertainty surrounding the renewal of the Canada‑United States‑Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) – are influencing sector performance in complex and sometimes counterintuitive ways. Many Canadian industries, including those in primary and resource‑based sectors, begin to experience not only challenges but also adaptive or beneficial opportunities, underscoring the need for deeper evidence‑based analysis.

We conduct a comprehensive review and synthesis of Canadian and international literature, scanning academic studies, policy analyses, industry reports, and labour market and skills research. We supplement this literature review with an analysis of secondary data, primarily from Statistics Canada, to contextualize findings. We draw implications on observed and anticipated shifts in labour and skills demand. Finally, we validate findings with industry stakeholders through key informant interviews.

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Resources and Practices for Engaging Opportunity Youth in Career Development

Wallaa Daramlly — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 17:20:46 +0000

This project explores the best ways to engage students who are disconnected from school and at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment, or training) in career development. The right support at the right time can reengage students and positively shape their career paths. Yet career development professionals face two major challenges: first, it is often challenging to reach young people who are disconnected from school and not inclined to seek support; and second, when they do reach this population, they may not know what supportive career guidance practices are most impactful.

To address these challenges, the project combines a literature review and environmental scan that identifies promising programs and practices and a survey of 500 school guidance counsellors across Canada that gathers insight on both barriers to engagement and best practices in working with opportunity youth. Together, these sources highlight obstacles to engagement and uncover practical strategies for supporting opportunity youth. The mission of the project is to find tangible ways to reach and engage this population, understand what practices and tools can motivate them to engage in career planning, and learn what further resources are needed to support career counselling practices.

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Youth LMI Development

Wallaa Daramlly — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 14:46:00 +0000

Many young people face challenges accessing labour market information (LMI) that is relevant, engaging, and tailored to their needs; particularly those who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET). To address this gap, SRDC is improving youth-focused LMI on a provincial employment platform. The project will develop a suite of integrated resources designed to support career exploration and readiness among youth, with special attention to those who are currently (or at risk of becoming) NEET. Planned components include a youth-aligned career exploration model, an interactive self-assessment tool linked to occupational profiles, and customized content for NEET youth. The initiative also involves redesign recommendations for the platform’s interface to better serve young users and the creation of a labour market information presentation tailored for Alternative Education settings. Focus groups and user testing with NEET youth will be conducted to ensure the tools are accessible, relevant, and effective. Ultimately, the project aims to empower young people with personalized, engaging resources that foster informed career choices, build confidence, and strengthen their pathways into work, education, and training.

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Characterization of Continuing Education in Quebec and Canadian French-language Universities

Wallaa Daramlly — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 14:04:07 +0000

The Association canadienne d’éducation des adultes des universités de langue française (ACDEAULF) and the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail have hired SRDC to produce a portrait of continuing education at the university level in Quebec and in Canada’s Francophone universities. The project aims to update knowledge on the interventions of university members involved in adult education, and to identify mechanisms for increasing the contribution of universities to workforce skills development, business productivity, and the promotion of a culture of continuing education in Quebec and elsewhere. The project will serve to clarify the identity of the players involved in university continuing education, their modes of operation, their governance, their financing, their collaborators, their clienteles, and the volume and nature of their activities. The results of this project will complete and refine the vision of the public continuing education ecosystem, by harmonizing the training offer with the skills of the workforce and the needs of the job market, thanks to increased concertation between universities and other stakeholders.

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Literature Review: Learning Disabilities Among Francophones in Canada

Wallaa Daramlly — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 17:13:41 +0000

SRDC was asked by the Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes (COFA) and their partners to conduct a literature review on the detection and support of French-speaking adults with learning disabilities who are seeking employment or career advancement. The aim of the project was to identify effective approaches and tools for the detection of learning disabilities in a French-speaking minority context, as well as best practices in the training, coaching, and support of French-speaking adults with learning disabilities, taking a holistic approach to the individual. It also aimed to propose adaptations to training programs to facilitate learning in this specific context, and to identify the elements needed to better equip employers to support these adults. The results of the project will make it possible to develop detection and support tools for this clientele and to better train and equip practitioners in adult education centres.

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Supporting Learning Disabilities in Manufacturing

Wallaa Daramlly — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 13:36:06 +0000

SRDC is working closely with Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) and partners to understand the impact of learning disabilities (LD) in the manufacturing sector and develop a range of potential solutions specific to manufacturing that will support both employees and employers. For employers these may include engagement with workshops to build awareness of barriers faced by employees with LD, building their capacity to implement action plans to address those barriers, and ultimately their ability to hire, support, retain, and advance persons with learning disabilities. We are also evaluating learner engagement with LD screening, assessment, and training tools generated by the project, subsequent awareness of and ease of access to LD supports and resources, and employment training outcomes.

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Empowering Youth for Post-Secondary Education Preparedness

Wallaa Daramlly — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 23:11:23 +0000

This is a project intended to research and consolidate information about best practices to empower youth from lower-income families to be active participants in their own preparation for postsecondary education. SRDC is undertaking an international literature review of best practices for youth empowerment approaches and a Pan-Canadian environmental scan of existing community programs, services and supports. As one product, SRDC is generating an inventory of current interventions for PSE preparedness for youth from low-income families, including interventions that address non-financial barriers to PSE.

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Skills for Success Proficiency Levels Development

Wallaa Daramlly — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 16:03:08 +0000

In May 2021, the Skills for Success model was launched to provide a common structure that aligns program and policy transformation with evolving skill and workforce development needs. Along with the skill descriptions, the launch of Skills for Success included preliminary proficiency descriptors; however, it was seen as important to build a stronger evidence base before providing more details (Palameta et al., 2021; Nguyen et al., 2022). This project, Skills for Success Proficiency Levels Development, was conceptualized as the first step toward addressing the need for more detailed proficiency levels and descriptions. The project aimed to produce a richer set of conceptual resources on skills proficiency to inform and inspire further work.

Skills for Success Proficiency Levels Development was conceptualized as the first step toward addressing the need for more proficiency details. The project aimed to produce a richer set of conceptual resources on skills proficiency to inform and inspire further work. Led by SRDC and funded by the Skills for Success Program, this project consolidated existing knowledge on skills proficiency in Canada and international jurisdictions, adding more depth to the conceptualization of Skills for Success proficiency that was developed prior to its launch. In the current project, we aimed to set a strong foundation upon which further work can emerge to support the continuation of Skills for Success implementation.

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Mapping the Career Mobility of Persons with Disabilities in Canada

Wallaa Daramlly — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 12:37:34 +0000

This project is examining the historical context, current status, challenges, trends, and emerging practices related to career mobility for persons with disabilities. The project involves a literature review as well as focus groups with persons with disabilities and interviews with other stakeholders, such as employment service providers, career practitioners, and employers. While the research is focusing specifically on the Canadian context, it is also highlighting international comparisons, where appropriate. It is also applying a Gender-based Analysis Plus (or intersectional) lens to the analysis. The objective of this research project is to fill a knowledge gap on the experiences of persons with disabilities with respect to career mobility in support of advancing the Employment Strategy and the objectives of the federal government’s new Disability Inclusion Action Plan.

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