Projects

Addressing Talent Shortages in Biomanufacturing Cleanrooms through a Practical Certification Assessment

Main objective  To increase small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (SME) adaptability, enabling SME employers to determine whether prospective talent has the skills and abilities to work in a cleanroom environment through an industry-validated certification practical assessment.   The project objectives are to:  Address the talent shortage within sterile cleanroom environments by building a pipeline of qualified talent…

Enabling Change Program (2023-2024)

Main Objectives: Help create equitable opportunities in the bio-economy and drive a culture of respect and dignity for persons with disabilities while supporting awareness and regulatory compliance for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).  The program objectives are to:   Increase awareness of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (IDEA), and the importance of persons…

Employing barriered youth in Canada’s bio-economy (2021-2024)

The “Employing Barriered Youth in Canada’s Bio-economy Program” will minimize perceived risk to small and medium-sized biotechnology companies by covering the cost of a youth’s salary by 50% to a maximum $20,000 for a three (3) to nine (9)-month period.

Building Resiliency and Sustainability for the Bio-economy to Withstand Disruption

To engage BioTalent Canada’s network to research and evaluate the innovative practices and technologies implemented by agile, resilient, and diverse Canadian bio-economy employers to excel in
highly disruptive economic situations. BioTalent Canada will gather, assess and disseminate these effective models to accelerate their adoption enabling organizations to leverage lessons learned and shock-proof against future disturbances.

Science Horizons Youth Internship Program (2023-2024)

August 2019 to March 2021 – To provide youth to work in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields linked to the green economy.

• wage subsidy

Occupational Competencies for Canada’s Bio-economy (2018-2021)

September 2018 to September 2021 – To update BioTalent Canada’s existing bio-economy Skills Profiles and Skills At-a-Glances and bring them to National Occupational Standards (NOS).

The Bio-economy Labour Market Information (LMI) Study (2018-2021)

July 2018 – June 2021 – To address current and future skills shortages, encourage strategic workforce planning and alleviate labour market challenges by producing updated and accurate LMI for the Canadian bio-economy.

• research

Student Work Placement Program Project (2017-2024)

May 2017 – March 2024 – Addressing the industry need to have access to a diversified skilled labour pool that is job-ready, BioTalent Canada will assist 1000 bio-economy students obtain valuable new co-ops through wage subsidies.

• Skills Development
• wage subsidy

Bringing Essential Skills to the Bio-economy Labour Force (2017-2021)

May 2017 – May 2021 – To address interpersonal skills shortages in the Canadian bio-economy through the development of a unique curriculum for these essential skills lacking in the bio-economy work force.

• Skills Development

Skilled newcomer internships for the bio-economy (2021-2023)

Main Objective To provide internationally educated professionals (IEPs) with skills development and employment opportunities via work placements with small-to-medium sized enterprises (SME) across Canada. The project objectives are to: Support IEPs’ access to meaningful employment opportunities, securing their contribution to the Canadian bio-economy and workforce, with knowledge and skills training; Support SMEs in hiring, retaining,…

Employing Barriered Youth in Canada’s Bio-economy (2019-2020)

September 2019 to October 2020 – To facilitate the transition of barriered youth into the labour market

• wage subsidy

Science and Technology Internship Program for the Bio-economy – Green Jobs (2019-2020)

May 2019 to March 2020 – The objective of this project is to provide youth with work experience (via internships and training) in natural resource sectors related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

• wage subsidy

The BioReady Paid Internship Program (2017-2019)

August 2017 – November 2019 – To decrease the apparent gamble of hiring newcomers lacking Canadian experience, bio-economy employers can recover the cost of a BioReady recognized IEP’s salary.

Science Horizons (2017-2019)

July 2017 – July 2019 Industry Need: Private sector companies regularly argue that it can be risky to take on new graduates with no previous work experience in the sector. This viewpoint is in line with research recently conducted by BioTalent Canada’s member organization – Life Sciences Ontario (LSO). LSO released a Sector Report in 2015…

• wage subsidy

Opportunities Fund (2015-2018)

October 2015 – September 2018 Industry need: BioTalent Canada, in partnership with Employment & Social Development Canada (ESDC), conducted a national study of Canadian bio-economy companies from coast to coast in 2013 to assess the needs of the labour market. Results from this survey show that: 14.3% fewer companies hired persons with disabilities in 2013 compared…

• wage subsidy

Alternative Career Paths for Internationally Educated Health Professionals (2014-2017)

February 2014 – February 2017 – This project provided internationally educated professionals with alternative career path options from traditional medical professions.

• Skills transfer

Connecting and Advancing Women in Biotech (2014-2017)

January 2014 – December 2017 – To identify key challenges women face when integrating into the bio-economy, particularly institutional gaps, as well as supports.

• research

Biotech Resume Builder (2013)

February 2013 – March 2013 – Create a biotech skills-based resumé builder for IEPs to quickly and identify their existing skills and format the information into a resumé which caters to the needs of the Canadian bio-economy.

• Skills Development

Career Focus (2005-2016)

August 2012 to March 2016 Industry need: Every year, thousands of talented graduates emerge from post-secondary programs that are related directly to the bio-economy—in disciplines such as chemistry, biology, agriculture and human health. Too often, however, these new grads lack the practical skills and professional maturity to step straight into jobs with Canadian biotechnology companies. Supporting…

• wage subsidy

Biotechnology LMI baseline study (2012-2013)

April 2012 – July 2013 – To conduct a comprehensive LMI study of the biotechnology industry.

• research

Manufacturing Skills Transfer (2009-2013)

December 2009 – March 2013 – Develop and pilot a model to transition displaced workers from traditional manufacturing to biomanufacturing.

• Skills transfer

BioSkills Transfer II – Medical Specialists (2009-2013)

November 2009 – February 2012 – To develop resources to help internationally educated medical specialists, who are in the process of or who have not obtained certification or licensure by a regulatory body, to transfer their skills to the bio-economy workforce.

• Skills transfer

Skills at Work – Phase II (2009-2013)

May 2009 – March 2013 – To implement a program for recognizing the competencies and skills of internationally educated professionals (IEPs) and ultimately address the shortages of skills in the Canadian bio-economy.

• Skills Development

Skills Profiles II (2009-2012)

February 2009 – January 2012 – To create occupational profiles for the following key positions that are unique to the industry.

• Skills Development

Bioenergy / biofuels / industrial situational analyses (2009)

January 2009 – October 2009 – To identify employer’s talent requirements and provide a comprehensive understanding of the industry and how its development impacts human resource considerations for Canada

• research

Integration Tools for Internationally Educated Bio-Professionals (2010 – 2012)

January 2010 – February 2012 – To create online tools for employers and IEPs to show them how and where integration can begin, plus provide specific bio-economy language instruction.

• Skills Development

BioSkills Transfer (2008-2009)

December 2008 – December 2009 – To assist internationally educated medical laboratory professionals who are in the process or have not been successful in obtaining certification by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) transfer their skills into the Canadian bio-economy workforce.

• Skills transfer

Aboriginal Feasibility Study (2007-2008)

October 2007 – March 2008 – To identify ways to engage the Aboriginals Peoples of Canada in entering the bio-economy workforce.

• research

Workplace Skills Development for Foreign Trained Professionals (2007-2009)

March 2007 – February 2009 – To accurately recognize individual skills to create the best match with employers in an efficient and reliable manner.

• Skills Development

Labour Market Information for the Biotechnology Industry (2007-2009)

March 2007 – January 2009 – To effectively address the HR needs of the industry, a comprehensive profile of the Canadian biotechnology labour market was needed.

• research

Scoping Out Today’s Biotechnology Industry (2006-2007)

October 2006 – May 2007 – To conduct a labour market snapshot of the Canadian biotechnology industry.

• research

Environmental Scan for Internationally Trained Professionals in the Biotechnology Sector (2006)

July 2006 – November 2006 – To gain deeper insight into the needs of both Canada’s biotechnology employers and the multitude of internationally trained professionals (IEPs) in Canada seeking work in the sector.

• research

Career Focus Green Jobs (2016-2019)

April 2005 – March 2019 Industry need: Private sector companies regularly argue that it can be risky to take on new graduates with no previous work experience in the sector. This viewpoint is in line with research recently conducted by BioTalent Canada’s member organization – Life Sciences Ontario (LSO). LSO released a Sector Report in 2015…

• wage subsidy