People Advantage

Innovative and Diverse

A country’s greatest asset in a knowledge economy is a smart workforce and Canada is rich in talented human resources.  Canada has the best educational system in the G7 and is rewarded with the most highly-educated population in the OECD. In addition, Canada also attracts the best and brightest from every corner of the globe due to its business-friendly immigration policies enable highly qualified newcomers

Smart Workforce

#1 in the OECD in higher education achievement—More than half of Canadians between the ages of 25 to 35 have a post-secondary education, either at university, college or technical school. Source: IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, 2009

Over 42% of all immigrants have completed university and 16% have a trade certificate or non-university diploma—In addition to existing high levels of education, almost 90% of immigrants continue to take education or training courses upon their arrival in Canada.  Sources:  Citizenship and Immigrant Canada, Facts and Figures, 2007.  Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada, Statistics Canada, 2005

One of the world’s top performers—In business education, Canadian schools excel by any measure. The IMD ranks Canada first in the G7 for its management schools. In Business Week magazine’s 2008 MBA survey, three Canadian business schools finished among the top 10 outside the United States: Queen’s (first), Western Ontario (fourth), and Toronto (eighth).  And according to the Financial Times’ Global MBA rankings for 2009, five Canadian management schools rank among the top 100 worldwide.

Superior Education—The World Economic Forum also placed Canada in the top 10 in a 125-country study of management education available locally in first-class business schools.

Qualified Engineers—Availability of qualified engineers is greater in Canada than any other G7. Source: IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, 2009.