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Our Work Future Workforce Development Career Ready Program FutureWave 2026

Building Canada’s Tech Advantage – Turning Ambition into Delivery

As Canada invests in innovation and productivity, what will it take to build the workforce that delivers on those ambitions?

About the Conference

FutureWave 2026 brings together Canada’s technology leaders, employers, educators, and policymakers for a full day focused on action, not just strategy. Participants will share real-world examples, identify barriers to talent development, and help shape The Tech Advantage Playbook, a shared set of recommendations to take back to their organizations.

  • Date: November 30, 2026
  • Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Location: Northeastern University, Toronto

Key Discussions

  • Building Canada’s Workforce Advantage: The talent Canada’s fastest-growing tech sectors will need over the next decade
  • Hiring for Growth: How employers, especially SMEs, can build successful early-career hiring strategies
  • From Campus to Competitive Advantage: How colleges and universities can accelerate innovation through employer partnerships
  • Growth That Reaches Every Community: What a truly national technology workforce strategy looks like
  • Trust, Talent & Opportunity: Lessons in Building Community-Centred Workforce Development Programs

Agenda

Morning

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. — Registration and continental breakfast
9:00 – 9:45 a.m. — Welcome and Keynote
9:45 – 10:45 a.m. — Building Canada’s Workforce Advantage

This discussion will bring together leaders from government, industry, and academia to explore the skills, experiences, and talent development strategies Canadian businesses need to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving technology landscape. Panelists will examine how employers are identifying emerging skills needs, preparing students for the transition from education to employment, and investing in onboarding, mentorship, and upskilling to build a strong pipeline of technology talent. The conversation will also explore how government priorities and investments, stronger employer–post-secondary partnerships, and expanded Work-Integrated Learning opportunities can help retain skilled talent in Canada, strengthen early-career employment pathways, and ensure Canadian businesses have the workforce needed to drive innovation, productivity, and long-term economic growth.

10:45 – 11:00 a.m. — Coffee break
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. — Growth That Reaches Every Community

Canada worries about losing companies, founders, and investment to the United States. Indigenous Nations have long confronted similar challenges when talent and opportunity must leave the community to succeed. By examining Indigenous approaches to self-determination, stewardship, and community reinvestment, the technology sector can explore a larger question: How do we build economies that retain people, ownership, and prosperity instead of exporting them?

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. — Networking and boxed lunch/Mentor Meetup (separate event for post-secondary students and professionals)

Afternoon

1:00 – 1:45 p.m. — Trust, Talent & Opportunity: Lessons in Building Community-Centred Workforce Development Programs

The panel will explore what it takes to design workforce development programs that effectively serve equity-deserving communities. Drawing on lessons from the recent iteration of ADaPT for Indigenous Youth and Young Adults and other initiatives, panelists will discuss the role of trust-building, community partnerships, learner supports, employer engagement, and broader definitions of success in creating meaningful workforce pathways.

While informed by the ADaPT experience, the discussion will be broader in scope and focus on the opportunities, challenges, and emerging best practices involved in building inclusive workforce development programs that create meaningful outcomes for learners, employers, and communities.

The panel will bring together perspectives from RRC Polytech, Diversity Institute, an ADaPT participant, and, the Future Skills Centre, providing insights from the delivery, research, participant, and funding perspectives.

1:45 – 2:30 p.m. — From Campus to Competitive Advantage

This panel brings together institutional leaders/government officials who are evolving curriculum, delivery models, and internal infrastructure to support long-term, relevant, current standard front-line education for our learners to hit the ground running once they enter the technological workforce. It will also address how we can better service classroom curriculum to keep up with the ever-changing global landscape in such key areas as AI, Cybersecurity, Health Tech and Sovereign Tech. How can colleges and universities accelerate innovation through stronger employer partnerships? What are post-secondary institutions currently doing to help Canada become more competitive in the global technological market?

2:30 – 2:45 p.m. — Coffee break
2:45 – 3:30 p.m. — Hiring for Growth

How can employers—especially SMEs—build successful early-career hiring strategies? This panel explores how Canadian employers, particularly SMEs, can use student and early-career hiring as a long-term growth strategy rather than simply a short-term staffing solution. The discussion will focus on the practical realities of hiring junior talent, and the supports that help make a student hiring successful and repeatable. The panel will also connect workforce development to Canada’s broader technology capacity, examining how employers can help build the talent needed to support SMEs and the digital economy.

3:30 – 4:00 p.m. — Wrap-Up: The Tech Advantage Playbook

Find more details about the event on the FutureWave page. LEARN MORE.

Ready to join? Register HERE to secure your spot.

 

Mentor Meetup

During FutureWave, post-secondary students will be personally matched with professionals for three rounds of small-group mentoring based on their career goals and interests. Professionals in tech and related industries are invited to join as mentors and share their knowledge with the next generation of talent.

  • Date: November 30, 2026
  • Time: 12 – 1 p.m.
  • Location: Northeastern University, Toronto
  • Cost: Free

Find more details about the event on the Mentor Meetup page. LEARN MORE.

Ready to join? Register HERE to secure your spot.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact Tim Sidock for more information.