Participants felt there was a need to re-examine the role that parents and guidance counsellors play in guiding the professional choices of young people.
Participants said that there is a current shortage of skilled trades people on Prince Edward Island and felt there was a need to re-examine the role that parents and guidance counsellors play in guiding the professional choices of young people. They called for a renewed emphasis on trades and other vocations and for the creation of closer ties between schools, colleges, universities, labour organizations, and business/industry. At the same time, they also felt that attracting youth to trades would depend on providing them with better information on these occupations and the benefits of this career path.
In terms of the structure of the education system itself, attendees noted that 50% of jobs in the knowledge economy come from the college system. They felt it was important to educate the public about the role of colleges and the education/employment opportunities they provide. Many participants also regretted the fact that vocational training was taken out of schools, stating that "not everyone is made for the academic track."
Participants felt that business and labour had an important role to play in the training field.
Participants felt that business and labour had an important role to play in the training field, stating that they are responsible for helping workers acquire workplace-specific skills and to help with the transferability of skills acquired in other organizations or in the education system (e.g. through apprenticeships). In particular, they highlighted the need to create a learning culture in the workplace and that this was a shared responsibility between employers and workers (and the unions that represent them): on one hand, the corporate mindset must change to shift towards training as an investment, not a cost. On the other hand, employees must take ownership of their own career development and actively leverage every opportunity available to them.