Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for inviting me and NSERC, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, to talk about our efforts to fill the skills gap. We certainly welcome the opportunity to outline our progress in supplying highly qualified personnel to address labour shortages in high-demand occupations.
Developing Canadian talent in natural sciences and engineering, NSE, is a key part of our mandate. NSERC has an impressive track record in making Canada a country of discoverers and innovators. Over the past decade, there has been an 88% increase in the number of students and fellows receiving support, either directly or indirectly, from NSERC.
NSERC's $1-billion investment enables 41,000 students and experienced researchers at universities and colleges across the country to study promising ideas and innovations that will give Canada a competitive edge in the 21st century.
While these figures may seem encouraging, the fact remains that Canada does not train enough scientists or engineers. Whether at the undergraduate or Ph.D. level, Canada ranks among the lowest in the world when it comes to producing university graduates in natural sciences and engineering.
Most worrisome, we are seeing a decline in enrolment rates at the undergraduate and master's levels in our fields compared with a decade ago. Increasingly, Canada is relying on foreign graduate students to carry out the research that happens in our universities, research that will result in discovery and innovation.
We cannot, however, rely on the contribution of foreign students and researchers to bring Canada up in the rankings, not now or in the future. Why, then, do we hear about shortfalls when university enrolment is hitting an all-time high? The challenge nowadays is encouraging young people, especially more young women, to pursue studies and a career in natural sciences and engineering.
Even though boys and girls are about equally represented in K-12, at university there's a major gender divide in natural sciences and engineering. Anything we can do to steer more women into these fields will go a long way in helping to fill the gaps in high-value, high-paying occupations.
NSERC understands this and is taking action. For example, we have increased the focus of our PromoScience program on under-represented groups so that they can continue studying in math, science, and technology throughout secondary school to broaden their career opportunities.
NSERC also strengthened its policies to help students and researchers achieve a work-life balance. These policies help women in science and engineering realize their full potential.
NSERC also monitors the peer review process to ensure that decision making is not gender-biased.
In addition to highlighting the importance of attracting more students to the natural sciences and engineering field, NSERC is developing new methods to help those seeking a career in the field hone their skills and prepare for the workforce.
We were told during consultations across Canada that while our graduates have outstanding knowledge and abilities, they often lack the soft or professional skills, so we now provide greater opportunities to students to work in interdisciplinary teams and hone their communications, project management, and business skills through on-the-job training.
For instance, budget 2009 and budget 2010 provided additional funding to the industrial research and development internship program, the IRDI program. It funds internships that match students and post-doctoral fellows with industry needs.
We've also launched CREATE, the collaborative research and training experience program. These grants enable qualified trainees to acquire professional skills. In doing so, they facilitate the transition of new researchers from trainees to productive employees in the workforce.
Of course, I am not claiming that these initiatives alone are going to solve the problem. There is still a long way to go before Canada catches up to the 20 or so higher-ranking countries that produce more science and engineering graduates, proportionally speaking.
Our progress over the past decade should give us all hope that Canada can and will produce the skilled workforce it needs to keep our country at the cutting edge of innovation.
Thank you. I'm looking forward to questions from the committee.