Future Skills Centre - Call For Proposals

Sponsor

Future Skills Centre

Program

Future Skills Centre - Thematic call for projects to support mid-career workers

Description

The Future Skills Centre (FSC) is seeking proposals for innovative projects that help fill gaps in training opportunities for mid-career workers (i.e. individuals who have been working for several years). The Centre will work with successful project proponents to support efforts to generate forward looking, responsive, and evidence-informed solutions to better meet the needs of mid-career workers facing challenges in the labour market.

The objective of the Support for Mid-Career Workers call is to test and evaluate innovative projects that have the potential to generate actionable evidence about how to better meet the skills needs of mid-career workers. FSC is seeking proposals from applicants to deliver projects that help answer the question: how can Canada better support mid-career workers to succeed in the labour market?

Potential areas of focus include:

  • Supporting displaced workers – In the future Canadian workers will face new and changing skills requirements in the workplace. What are the most promising approaches for supporting these workers, and are there innovative solutions that could help these workers build resilience and adapt to future changes in the labour market?  
  • Building skills of workers in need of up-skilling – Many more mid-career workers are at risk of displacement or will face new job requirements in the future. How can stakeholders work together to support these incumbent workers to ensure they are prepared for the workplace of tomorrow?
  • Ongoing learning and career progression –  Current skills development systems are largely oriented towards helping people find jobs. Fewer supports exist to promote lifelong learning, career advancement, and resilience to labour market changes for midcareer workers, especially those with out of date skills. What can be done to better support ongoing learning and career progression for these workers? 
All projects should show awareness of recent innovations in skills development, and should aim to make a meaningful contribution to the skills development evidence-base. Proposed projects should align with the FSC goals to create opportunities for under-represented, marginalized and vulnerable groups and incorporate diverse knowledge, worldviews and experiences.

Eligibility

Applications may be submitted by a sole organization, or a consortium of organizations, including:

  • Legally incorporated not-for-profit organizations, including not-for-profit social enterprises and registered charities
  • Publicly-funded post-secondary institutions
  • Industry associations
  • Professional associations
  • An Indigenous organization that is a legal entity
  • Municipalities or District Social Services Administration Boards
  • For profit companies (provided the project is undertaken at cost with no mark-ups or profit incorporated

Funding Availability

Projects of all different sizes and stages of development will be considered. The maximum award for an individual project is $1.5 million, for a total disbursement of $4 million. The maximum duration of projects is 24 months. 
Applications are required to provide a detailed budget and funding requests should be commensurate with the level of effort required to successfully deliver on project outcomes. While direct matching funds are not required for this call, a demonstration of in-kind support on a 1:1 basis is strongly encouraged. For a list of eligible expenditures, consult the Program Guidelines.

Indirect Costs

12% 

Project Duration

Projects will launch by June 30, 2019 and must be completed and funds spent by June 30, 2021.

Deadlines

If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.

TypeDateNotes
Internal Deadline

Please submit the complete application package, along with an OR-5 Form to research.services@uoguelph.ca.

External Deadline

Proposals must be submitted in full on the application portal (accessed at www.fsc-ccf.ca) by 4pm EST, May 2, 2019. 

How to Apply

FSC - Application Instructions

For Questions, please contact

Questions can be submitted to projects@fsc-ccf.ca and responses will be posted to the FAQ section of the website. The deadline for submitting questions is April 25, 2019.

Office of Research

Kristin Zimmermann, Senior Grants & Contracts Specialist
Research Services Office
519-824-4120 x56257
kristin5@uoguelph.ca

Alert Classifications
Category:
Funding Opportunities and Sponsor News

Disciplines:
Information and Communications Technology
Social Sciences