WatSPEED is encouraging industry leaders to better prepare for the ever-expanding technological landscape impacting today’s modern workforce.
As part of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers’ (OSPE) Engineering Conference in November, WatSPEED convened an executive dinner and roundtable discussion on the importance of ongoing technological training for Canadian businesses.
Guests included senior representatives from Canada’s engineering and technology sectors, and subject matter experts from the University of Waterloo. During the discussion, WatSPEED’s managing director, client partnerships, Aaron Pereira, remarked on the importance of strong partnerships between industry and academia as we collectively navigate our ever-changing marketplace.
“In today’s labour market, rapid technological advances are widening our existing skills gaps and we’re responding to a new economic reality – one that leaves us looking more closely at how we approach education, skills training, and industry partnerships.” said Pereira. “The University of Waterloo and WatSPEED play an important role in educating the workforce in a way that will shape our local and global recovery.”
The event also featured presentations from Waterloo faculty members Peter Carr and George Shaker, both from the Faculty of Engineering, who highlighted the challenges that organizations face as our workforce becomes significantly more digital. Together, they spoke to the confluence of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things and how they not only create greater divides for businesses, but also opportunities for an evolution in technology innovation.
Throughout the evening, participants commented on how their organizations have been adapting to global disruption, emphasizing the need for highly skilled tech talent to ensure they remain competitive and agile as Canada’s economic recovery remain ambiguous. They highlighted the long-term challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies and emphasized the need for a culture that supports lifelong learning within organizations. For those who thrive in the age of digital transformation, the ability to stay future-focused, quickly acquire new skills, and apply those skills to the adoption of new technologies has been critical for advancement.
While new technologies represent unprecedented opportunity, without investment in human capital alongside infrastructure, successful digital transformation is not possible. No matter the scale of automation, humans must work alongside new technologies for them to be successful—and ensuring humans have the skills they need to navigate ongoing technological disruption needs to be a major priority for modern organizations.
WatSPEED continues to support industry leaders to keep pace with major technological, societal, and environmental disruption through custom training and executive education opportunities. By strengthening industry relationships, Waterloo gains insight into the critical skills challenges facing organizations today and empowers learners to be better prepared and more resilient for an uncertain future.
