Participants therefore called for a new idea of "education" and, by extension, or the education system itself. This, they felt, should include both a review of what we teach and how we teach it: on one hand, mandating the education system to provide a broader range of experiences, essential skills and core competencies that are linked to today's job market; on the other hand, encouraging the adoption of new delivery models, for example approaches that leverage partnerships between public educational institutions and industry (e.g. aerospace).

This, participants added, implies a conceptual shift from "diplomas" to "skills," and recognition of both formal and informal education (the latter including, for example, informal on-the-job training, lifelong learning and life experience). In practical terms, this would mean doing a better job of identifying and recognizing skills acquired outside the formal education system. This would in turn require greater coordination and collaboration between education and training stakeholders, at the local, regional, and provincial levels. Participants saw a role here for government (both elected officials and bureaucrats), business, labour, educational institutions (both private and public), communities, and parents. They also saw a role for professional associations or even for vendors of programs or tools.

The ultimate goal, according to participants, is to ensure that the educational system is more in tune with the realities and needs of today's workplace and of current and future workers. This, they felt was a shared responsibility between government, the education system, business and to a degree, workers and the unions that represent them.