Evidence of meeting #30 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was industry.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
So you're not looking at the sector that has grade 12 or less...?
Director General, Information and Communications Technologies Branch, Department of Industry
No, because in our case as it relates to the ICT sector, as I referred to in my opening remarks, the ICT sector performs about a third of all the private sector R and D. In order to compete and to innovate, they need to perform R and D in the future. As such, we look to the types of professionals and the type of talent they will require in undertaking that type of R and D in the future. That's why we looked specifically at the issue of ICT professionals.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
With ICT, with professionals, we know that sector is changing rapidly. Today you can graduate with a four-year degree or a graduate degree that is already out of date by the time you graduate. They'll have transferable skills because they're in the sector, but the technology is changing so quickly. Are Industry Canada and the industry looking at other methods or other educational requirements?
Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Science and Innovation Sector, Department of Industry
I can respond to that in part. A lot of my work is with the research granting councils: the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. We always endeavour to respect federal jurisdiction, of course, so our mandate really and truly is to focus on the research. So the students that our programs in these areas are targeting really have to be graduates—master's degrees and Ph.D.s.
But to respond to your question, there are a number of internship programs that really serve a dual purpose. The first purpose is to actually demonstrate to industry the value of highly qualified people, whether they're at the master's, the Ph.D., or even the post-doctorate level in some cases. But also, it's to encourage students, to demonstrate that there is an alternative to an academic lifestyle. Often we find that people in the university stream would like to stay in that area, and we're just trying, through these programs, to demonstrate that there are opportunities.
Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Science and Innovation Sector, Department of Industry
It varies. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council has a suite of programs. The post-grad scholarships are for graduate students, for a duration of one to three years, and they need to spend 20% of their time on site with the sponsoring company. Last year, there were 150 awards in that. At the—
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Do you have any idea of what the percentage is of students who are in those programs?
Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Science and Innovation Sector, Department of Industry
I'm sorry, which programs?
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Well, for the 150 awards, I assume there's a range of particular disciplines.
Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Science and Innovation Sector, Department of Industry
I wouldn't have the breakdown by discipline, but we could—
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
But here's what I was curious about. If you're giving out 150 awards, what's the total eligible student population?
Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Science and Innovation Sector, Department of Industry
Yes. That's a good question.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
If it's 1% or half a percent or a quarter of a percent, it's not that significant. If it's 20%, it's significant for everyone.
Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Science and Innovation Sector, Department of Industry
It wouldn't be 20%.
Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Science and Innovation Sector, Department of Industry
I can endeavour to get that.
I understand also that the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council is appearing in the next couple of days. I can advise them.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
It would be useful, because one of the challenges graduates often face is that they don't have any work experience.
Because it's a sector that's moving so quickly and I'm assuming that profit margins are always an issue, for them to actually take on students who don't have the work experience is a challenge, because it takes them a while to get productive.
Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Science and Innovation Sector, Department of Industry
That's precisely why it's a matching program. The granting council will provide some funding to support the activities of the graduate students, but the firm also needs to provide some either in-kind or financial support to demonstrate commitment.
Conservative
Conservative
Joe Daniel Conservative Don Valley East, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and witnesses.
I have an interesting question that you may be able to help me look into. You talked in your speech about attracting world-quality researchers here to Canada, but my question, to turn it around the other way, is how do we support researchers in Canada to actually become that internationally renowned talent?
It is supporting, in particular, initiatives, such as CERN in Switzerland and working with them in terms of becoming associate members of CERN, so that we can actually put our high-end Canadian talent in there to get some of this international experience or be right at the bleeding edge of technology, and become some of these world leaders but be Canadian ones.
Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Science and Innovation Sector, Department of Industry
Alain, in his comments, referenced the Canada excellence research chairs, but there is also the Canada research chairs program, which provides funding for up to 2,000 academics across Canada in two tiers.
To respond to your question about how we build it, there is a tier one, which provides funding for up to five years for emerging researchers—they don't have to have a solid track record, it's just a promising researcher. And then there are the tier-two chairs, who are established researchers with a solid track record.
So through the granting councils—it's a tri-council program managed by the three primary granting councils—we do that.
You had referenced CERN. The federal government, through the National Research Council, provides significant funding for TRIUMF. It's based at UBC, but many universities are involved in that. As part of that contribution, TRIUMF allows access to our academics to collaborate with researchers at CERN as well.
Conservative
Joe Daniel Conservative Don Valley East, ON
I was specifically looking to see.... I think there is an opportunity on the table at the moment to become an associate member of CERN as part of their international program, of which a significant amount of the funding actually gets implemented in Canada. I'm really wondering if that is something your department supports, or which department would support that.
Director General, Program Coordination Branch, Science and Innovation Sector, Department of Industry
I believe that's something under consideration and that it would ultimately be a decision for ministers.
Conservative
Joe Daniel Conservative Don Valley East, ON
Okay. What are some ways that you feel the federal government could assist in encouraging young people to enter the areas that are currently experiencing shortages?
