Model Objectives

The three pilot projects will address the following specific objectives grouped around three areas considered critical to building an economy that creates quality job growth and regional economic development:

Knowledge Sharing and Transfer

• Increase the amount of knowledge transfer between colleges, SMEs, industry, communities and other key stakeholders using participatory approaches, local educational tools and creating new learning mechanisms where needed.
• Increase the amount and application of knowledge transfer from the global marketplace to local rural areas in a manner best-suited to its timely absorption for commercial utilization.

Applied Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer

• Enhance the capacity for focused research and development that translate research innovations into commercial applications.
• Increase the economic benefit of research through technology transfer efforts between communities, colleges and industry.
• Increase competitiveness based on applying innovative skills to industry work force and access to new technologies.
• Encourage the participation of students as technology transfer agents.

Workforce Development

• Ensure that the future and existing workforce in each region has the skills needed to facilitate transitions from primary industry and resource-based economies to value-added industry and more knowledge-based economies.
• Ensure that college and institute programs and services are in line with employers’ and regional workforce development needs, as well as overall rural community development objectives.
• Increase entrepreneurial energy through skill development.
• Encourage informal learning and skills through high rates of information flow and participation in cluster networks.
• Impart new skills to industries creating opportunities for networking and informal learning.
• Increase participation of youth, aboriginal, and francophone in workforce.

Community Capacity Building