"In the global economy, there's a new message for Canadian industry: business success in the 21st century depends on people.” 

Perrin Beatty, President & CEO

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I've been saying it for years..."Invest in your greatest asset...people!" and it's becoming more and more clear that this strategy is what separates highly successful organizations from all of the others.

I've been a member of the Canadian Council on Learning's Work and Learning Knowledge Centre since its inception a few years ago and this past week I spent three energizing days with leaders from across the country who represent learning organizations of all kinds - business, labour, government, education and training organizations.

eye-opening statistics

There's a lot of evidence out there that Canadian organizations, regardless of their sector, have a lot of work to do in order to sufficiently equip our workforce of today and tomorrow with the tools we need in order to meet the demands of the technological age. Here are a couple of statistics that I found surprising - and even alarming:

Time, money, lack of resources and even potential poaching are all realities that discourage employers from providing staff with more learning opportunities. Regardless, we have to find ways to overcome these. Let's start thinking of learning in a broader context - informal learning is a powerful tool in the workplace - so is mentoring - and yet too few workplaces even have these on "their radar". We must stop thinking of training as an expense. It is an investment - in our people - in our economy - in our country.

How about you? How about your workplace? What are you doing to invest in yourself and those around you?

Request a complimentary e-copy of

Connecting the Dots...Linking Training Investment to Business Outcomes and the Economy (by Allan Bailey).

Janet Stewart-Lussier

Member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers