Yes, there are examples of that kind of partnership happening. I chaired a pilot project a couple of years ago. It was called the education sector council partnership project, where we worked with the Toronto District School Board on exactly what you're talking about. The district school board realized that 60-some percent of their kids weren't going to university or college, and asked how they could address their needs. Local employers were saying they needed people with good skills. This project worked at connecting high schools with local employers, with the school board, and the province to make those connections, to connect those dots. Employers were coming into the schools, they were having more dynamic conversations with the educators and saying what they were looking for.
The teachers, who are challenged with delivering curricula, could say, “Well, this is what we need to deliver. How do we make this real for the kids?” Employers would say, “Bring them in. We'll show them how this is applied. We'll give them copies of workplace documents they need to be able to read when they come in. These are the expectations we have.” Through that, more work experiential opportunities came, some certifications came out of it, and it better prepared young people to say either yes, they'd love to work in that, or just as importantly, no, it's not for them, and they want to go look for something else.