Future Talent Institute
Future Talent Institute
Connecting education, talent and industry
The Future Talent Institute (FTI) connects IBU with the changing needs of the workforce. Through employer research, labour market insight and industry collaboration, the Future Talent Institute identifies emerging skills and capabilities that help inform IBU curriculum and the student experience.
That insight moves beyond the university. Through professional development, skills-based workshops and industry events, the Future Talent Institute helps organizations build the capabilities their people and workplaces need.
For Students
For Industry
development.
For IBU
Our research found a talent gap.
The Future Talent Institute’s founding research engaged senior business and HR leaders across 10 industries and Canadian organizations of all sizes. The findings showed that employers are struggling to find and develop the talent they need.
Talent
Pipeline
53%
of employers were neutral or dissatisfied with the quality and readiness of
available talent.
Competition
for talent
72%
of employers identified competition for skilled talent as a major challenge.
Technology
and AI
68%
of employers identified AI and digital transformation as both a challenge and
an opportunity.
The skills and capabilities employers are looking for
Employers are looking for people with a combination of technical skills, human
capabilities and higher-order thinking.
Technical + Digital
Business acumen, AI and digital fluency, data and analytics.
Human Capabilities
Higher-order Thinking
The critical combination is at the intersection: people who can bring technical expertise, human capabilities and business understanding together.
From insight to action
Future Talent Institute turns workforce insight into action for IBU students and industry.
Informing the IBU Experience
Future Talent Institute research identifies emerging workforce needs, helping IBU keep learning connected to changes in business, technology and industry.
Making Capability Visible
The IBU Signal makes demonstrated capabilities visible and verified, helping show what students can do, not only what they studied.
Supporting workforce development
The Future Talent Institute works with employers to develop focused courses and workshops around the skills and capabilities their teams need.
Sharing workforce intelligence
The Future Talent Institute publishes research and brings employers and educators together to understand emerging skills, labour market trends and changing workforce needs.
The Future Talent Institute team
Dr. Harvey Weingarten,
Director
Dr. Weingarten is a respected Canadian higher education leader and policy thinker. He has served as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calgary, President and CEO of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, Principal of the Michener Institute of Education at UHN, and Provost and Vice-President Academic at McMaster University. He currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute.
Widely recognized for his research and thought leadership on the future of post-secondary education, Dr. Weingarten has long challenged institutions to close the gap between education and employment to keep pace with a changing economy. He leads the Future Talent Institute’s work on training and upskilling programs built to meet employer and economic requirements.
Gina Jeneroux,
Gina Jeneroux is Strategic Advisor and Professor of Practice, Future Work and Skills. At IBU’s Future Talent Institute, she led Skills, Verified: the research that founded the Future Talent Institute on what employers actually need from Canada’s workforce right now.
She has spent more than 30 years in the financial services and learning industries, working across business leadership, human-centred design and skills development, and has led teams to more than 20 global industry awards. She holds an MBA in Financial Services from Dalhousie University. She has been an active member of the World Economic Forum’s Reskilling Revolution since 2020, sits on the board of the Students Commission of Canada, and serves on executive advisory boards across learning, technology and professional networks.
Gina Jeneroux,
Gina Jeneroux is Strategic Advisor and Professor of Practice, Future Work and Skills. At IBU’s Future Talent Institute, she led Skills, Verified: the research that founded the Future Talent Institute on what employers actually need from Canada’s workforce right now.
She has spent more than 30 years in the financial services and learning industries, working across business leadership, human-centred design and skills development, and has led teams to more than 20 global industry awards. She holds an MBA in Financial Services from Dalhousie University. She has been an active member of the World Economic Forum’s Reskilling Revolution since 2020, sits on the board of the Students Commission of Canada, and serves on executive advisory boards across learning, technology and professional networks.
Julien Papon,
An automotive manufacturing executive turned entrepreneur, Julien Papon teaches and coaches IBU students on the skills and capabilities industry values. Drawing on his engineering and business background, Julien helped develop the intellectual property behind IBU’s ability to measure competence against the skills and capabilities outlined in the IBU Signal.
Courses and Events
The Future Talent Institute co-designs short courses and workshops around the specific skills employers need to train and upskill their workforce.
An Evening with the Kanata North Business Association and Future Talent Institute, October 8
An intimate, invite-only event to determine the Technology Park’s priorities with regards to upskilling and career development, to drive the economic growth Ottawa and Canada need.