Canada’s learning systems need to keep up with changes in the way we work
In 2025, Magnet took our flagship event, Magnet Network Live, on the road. The MNLSpotlight Series convened leaders, innovators, and changemakers in three regions—Atlantic Canada, Manitoba, and Alberta. Each event highlighted local knowledge, partnerships, and innovations shaping the future of work. This piece is part of a series of reflections from Magnet’s leaders on what we learned in each region and what it means for Canada as a whole.
The world of work is changing too quickly for learning to remain something that happens once, early in life, and then quietly recedes into the background. Yet much of Canada’s training system is still built around that older model. Conversations at MNLSpotlight Alberta made this point clearly and earnestly. The skills we rely on are shifting constantly, but our systems still assume a kind of permanence that no longer exists.
Participants noted that nearly half the skills in today’s jobs are expected to change within a few years. People spoke about how work now requires combinations of technical ability, digital fluency, ethical reasoning, and human judgment that don’t fit neatly into traditional programs. Local leaders were direct about this. They see workers encounter new tools and expectations at a pace that far outstrips the training pathways meant to support them. No one in the room seemed to believe that early career education could carry someone for decades anymore.
Importantly, continuous learning only works if our systems can meet people where they are, at different ages, with different forms of knowledge, and with very different starting points. Alberta’s conversations highlighted this through a recurring observation about Indigenous youth, now one of the fastest growing demographics in the country. Several leaders noted that many existing programs still don’t reflect their experiences or support their long term participation.
There were other pressures too. Participants described uneven digital adoption across sectors, with many firms still struggling to reach a basic level of technological readiness. Without that foundation, it’s difficult for workers to gain the more advanced skills the economy now demands. People also raised concerns about professional mobility, noting that rules around credential recognition often limit movement between provinces or sectors even when the skills are comparable. These frictions shape the daily experience of employers and workers who are trying to adapt in real time.
Adoption, inclusion, and learning go hand in hand. New tools, technologies, and practices only matter if people know how to use them, trust them, and can incorporate them into their daily work no matter their starting point. In a fast changing economy with an evolving workforce, adoption is a learning process. If we want innovation to spread, we need systems that help people develop the skills, judgment, and practical familiarity required to put those innovations to use.
None of this is a criticism of educators or training providers. Canada has one of the most highly educated workforces in the world and our postsecondary education system is exemplary. But to stay exemplary, we have to acknowledge that economic and workforce contexts will change–in fact, have already been changing–far faster than the learning structures designed to manage them. People are already learning continuously. They pick up skills on the job, online, or through short, intensive bursts of training that respond to immediate needs. The challenge is to build formal systems that support this reality.
Since leaving Alberta, I’ve been thinking about how simple the core insight really is. If work keeps changing, learning has to change with it. The country is ready for a skills model that recognizes adaptation as a normal part of working life. The sooner we treat learning as a lifelong practice, the better prepared we’ll be for what comes next.
To learn more about the takeaways from MNLSpotlight Alberta, read the full event report.
Zak Rose, Director, Strategic Initiatives
