ONTARIO SCHOOLS MUST
IMPROVE IN PREPARING
ENTRY-LEVEL WORKERS FOR
TODAY’S JOBS
As summer vacation gears up, a new report
released by the Human Resources
Professionals Association (HRPA) shows
Ontario's high schools are failing to provide
students with the foundational soft
skills required to succeed in their future
entry-level jobs. In fact, 42 per cent
of respondents in a unique survey of HR
professionals across Ontario said that
entry-level workers are insufficiently prepared
for that role because they do not
have the soft skills necessary.
"When we asked HR professionals to
identify what skills are missing from entry
level workers, the top five were all
soft skills," said Bill Greenhalgh, CEO
of HRPA. "Problem solving, attention
to detail, teamwork – these are the skills
that our new hires are missing today in
Ontario. These are foundational skills that
students should be learning in high school
and ones that are critical to succeeding in
entry-level jobs."
While Ontario's secondary education
system is designed to prepare students
for the next stage of learning rather than
to teach them how to join the workforce,
HRPA argues that needs of employers
should not be overlooked.
"The single greatest feedback from
HR professionals called for students to
be given greater experiential learning opportunities,"
said Greenhalgh. "We must
do more to create those opportunities.
According to our research, more than one
out of every three businesses is waiting to
be asked to participate in a high school coop
or experiential learning opportunity."
The paper, entitled Next Steps for
Improvement: Identifying the Gaps between
Education and Employability in
Ontario High Schools, makes a series of
recommendations to government and
industry to ensure students are better
prepared to enter the workforce. These
recommendations include making co-op
programs mandatory courses and offering
incentives to attract more businesses
to participate in experiential learning
opportunities.
"The good news is there are ways to
improve," said Greenhalgh. "Almost threequarters
of respondents said high school
curriculum changes could help students
gain the specific skills that are missing.
These changes would ensure our young
people succeed and Ontario's economy becomes
even more competitive in the 21st
century economy."
news
UPFRONT
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Continued on page 9
HRPROFESSIONALNOW.CA ❚ JULY 2017 ❚ 7
