Skills 4 Success

Overview

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) is leading the Skills 4 Success 10-Year Strategic Framework 2015-2025 initiative on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT).

Skills 4 Success is about improving employment success for NWT residents, closing skill gaps for in-demand jobs, and more effectively responding to employer and industry needs. This initiative is driven by labour market evidence, best practice research, and informed stakeholder feedback, and supports the GNWT’s priority of fostering lifelong learning, skills development, training and employability.

Skills 4 Success is aimed at closing education and employment gaps and addressing recruitment and retention challenges in the NWT.

The dynamics of the labour market in the NWT and the rest of Canada will experience dramatic changes in the coming years with an aging workforce and baby boomers on the verge of retirement. This means the competition for skilled labour will only intensify as people begin to exit the labour force in large numbers. The NWT has the opportunity to rise to the challenge by educating and preparing our residents to compete for these opportunities.

Labour market information can also help NWT residents make informed decisions, such as the Conference Board of Canada's Updated Labour Market Forecast and Needs Assessment for the NWT. Find more labour market information here.

Vision

"NWT residents have the skills, knowledge and attitudes for employment success."

Action Plan

The GNWT’s plan on how to achieve employment success for NWT residents is included in the Skills 4 Success 4-Year Action Plan – 2021 – 2025. This document will serve as a roadmap for education, training and skills building activities and investments by the GNWT from 2021 to 2025.

Residents, Indigenous Governments, Indigenous Organizations, partners and stakeholders were invited to participate in online surveys, interviews and virtual roundtables to provide their input on Skills 4 Success. This feedback has shaped the development of the new Skills 4 Success 4-year Action Plan – 2021-2025. The GNWT is committed to working with partners and stakeholders to ensure that we continue to invest in building up NWT residents to have the right skills, knowledge and attitudes for employment success.  

Skills 4 Success: Annual Report 2021-2022

10-Year Strategic Framework

This framework sets out a 10-year path for ongoing partnership, engagement, action planning and implementation. It will ensure that the education and training system keeps pace with the changing dynamics of the labour market so that NWT residents gain the skills required in a 21st century economy and labour market.

This work was driven by the need for a comprehensive strategy to improve employment success for NWT residents, close skills gaps for in-demand jobs and more effectively respond to employer, industry and community needs. The framework goals and priorities set out a new direction to address forecasted labour market demands in the NWT.

Engagement

Although Skills 4 Success is a GNWT led initiative, it relies strongly on the active participation and engagement of governments and organizations, education and training partners, industry, business and non-government stakeholders. 

To date the department of Education, Culture and Employment has had the following public engagement sessions where over 1,000 residents and organizations expressed a collective call for change to build a strong culture of education that is linked to employment.

  • Summary of Engagement on Draft Action Plan 2016 - 2020 
  • Regional Focus Group Engagement Sessions (February/March/April 2015)
  • Skills 4 Success Symposium (February 2015)

All supporting documents from these engagement sessions are below: