By Paul Armstrong, President, Mohawk College & Governance Group Co-Chair, C2R2
Between 2019 and 2028, 700,000 skilled trades workers are set to retire1, with key sectors in the sustainable transition, like construction2 and agriculture3, face growing labour shortages.
That number is often framed as a warning about a skills shortage.
But after years of working across education, industry, and workforce development, I’ve come to a different conclusion.
Canada does not have a talent shortage.
We have a coordination problem.
Until we address that, we will continue to fall short regardless of our invests in training, innovation, or technology.
Across the country, the ingredients for success already exist:
Yet these systems too often operate in parallel rather than in partnership.
Labour market needs evolve quickly. Training programs take longer to adapt. Industry signals don’t always translate into curriculum in time.
The result is not a lack of talent. It is a lag between the workforce development and sector demands.
This is precisely the challenge that inspired the formation of the Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery (C2R2).
C2R2 brings together colleges, cégeps and polytechnics from across Canada to collaborate on workforce solutions that support a resilient, low-carbon economy. It is grounded in a simple but powerful premise: no single institution, region or sector can solve this challenge alone.
Originally formed to support recovery during COVID-19, the coalition continues to evolve—because resilience is not a one-time goal. It is something we must continually build toward.
Through Collaboration, C2R2 institutions are working to:
This is not about replacing institutional autonomy. It is about enhancing collective impact.
When colleges collaborate intentionally, we reduce duplication, accelerate innovation, and improve alignment with national priorities.
Colleges sit at the centre of Canada’s economic transition.
Institutions like Mohawk College, and partners across the C2R2 network, are deeply connected to their communities through:
Colleges are not distant observers of the economy. We are embedded in it.
But to fully realize this role, we must shift how we think about colleges—not just as education providers, but as connectors between economic demand and workforce capabilities.
Too often, workforce development in Canada is treated as a series of disconnected efforts.
A new program here. A pilot project there. A regional partnership somewhere else.
All valuable… but not always connected.
What is needed is a shift in mindset from:
Instead of asking: How do we build better programs?
We should be asking: How do we build a better system that connects programs to real-time industry needs?”
That means:
The clean economy will not wait for systems to catch up. Our workforce strategy cannot afford to either.
It is easy to frame this discussion as an education issue.
But the implications are far broader.
If Canada cannot align its workforce development system with the pace of economic transformation, we risk:
This is not just about filling jobs.
It is about ensuring Canada can compete, and lead, in a rapidly changing global economy.
The encouraging reality is that we are not starting from nothing.
Across Canada, through C2R2, we are already seeing what a more connected system can look like—institutions working together, guided by industry, to respond more quickly and effectively to shared workforce challenges.
The pieces are in place. The expertise exists. The partnerships are forming.
The question is no longer whether we can build a more coordinated and responsive system.
It is whether we are prepared to move beyond isolated efforts and fully align what already exists.
If we already have the people and the institutions, what’s stopping us from building a truly adaptable workforce system?
Paul Armstrong
President of Mohawk College and a long-standing leader in Ontario’s postsecondary sector, having progressed from faculty member, senior administrator, and executive leader over more than 30 years at the institution. He is also a key architect of C2R2, helping advance workforce development, equity, and innovation to support Canada’s transition to a green economy.
As this series continues, Sandy Macdonald, President & CEO at Holland College
And Governance Group Co-Chair for C2R2, will explore how these national challenges are experienced at the regional level, and how national curriculum can be adapted to meet the needs of different communities across the country.
