In Spring 2019, the provincial government announced an extensive overhaul of employment services, social assistance reforms, apprenticeships, and education programs, with the goals of driving improved employment outcomes, and better aligning the skills and training system with the needs of business.

Seeing this as an opportunity to create a nimbler and more responsive workforce system designed to support people with diverse needs, meet the needs of industry and develop new approaches to build the talent in our workforce, reduce poverty and support inclusive economic development, the Toronto Region Board of Trade, United Way Greater Toronto, and the Metcalf Foundation, have come together to collaborate on this report Help Wanted: Modernizing Employment and Skills Training Services in Ontario. This report provides guiding principles and recommendations for the provincial government to enhance the current employment and skills training system to better serve people and business and create more value for the economy.

The guiding principles and recommendations in the Help Wanted report build on effective practices from Ontario and other jurisdictions and profile the work of several Metcalf grantees and Toronto Sector Skills Academy graduates. We believe that inclusive and effective talent development is critical to the competitiveness of our economy, and the health and prosperity of our communities. Workforce development has the opportunity to align with and complement regional economic development strategies to drive inclusive and sustainable regional growth.

We thank JP Morgan Chase for their generous contribution that made this report possible, and for their ongoing collaboration and leadership on workforce development in the Toronto region.