COLLABORATION, IMAGINATION + ACTION
Established in 1999, the Ontario Business Education Partnership (OBEP) is a not-for-profit organization that advocates on key issues impacting career exploration and workforce development. Our purpose is to facilitate a dynamic network among government-supported and private sector partners, thereby enabling:
- Informed relationships between industry and educators
- Effective communication of government programs and shaping of new policy
- Well-supported experiential learning opportunities in Ontario communities
STRATEGY
Our new strategy represents the coming together of partners within our system to strengthen ties for educators, students and employers. The purpose of OBEP is to be a system integrator, working through three streams:
Collaboration—a culture of partners within the education to employment system to provide opportunities for
experiential learning.
Imagination—system partners actively transforming the way they engage with each other and developing a new normal for industry education partnerships.
Action—gathering and sharing relevant information with the people who need it, bring partners together to drive new programming and foster awareness of labour market demands and career opportunities.
EDUCATION & EMPLOYMENT IN CANADA
We know we are at a critical point in the development of the Canadian economy. Business needs an educated, skilled labour force, and students need more experience and guidance in order to make the appropriate career decision for them.
Based on the McKinsey & Company report “Education to Employment: Designing a System that Works” employers, education providers, and youth live in parallel universes. They have fundamentally different understandings of the same situation:
- Fewer than half of youth and employers believe that new graduates are adequately prepared for entry-level positions. Education providers are more optimistic with 72% believing new graduates are ready to work
- One-third of employers say they never communicate with education providers; of those that do, fewer than half say it proved effective
OUR NUMBERS
- 22,890 Employers were actively involved with providing experiential learning opportunities
- 15,772 Opportunities were provided for experiential learning
- 589 Events were held across the province focused on student engagement & learning
- 6,683 Educators are actively participating with the PtoP program
- 39 Employer Champion Award nominations were submitted for consideration
(Most recent impact as reported to the Ontario Ministry of Education March 2012)
OUR VALUES
- We believe in the importance of an inclusive, respectful environment for sharing innovative ideas that will contribute to a positive economic impact
- We believe in the value of long term system player partnerships.
- We believe in facilitating business and education partnerships for the benefit of our current and future workforce
- We believe in collaboration, strength in numbers and welcoming new voices to address issues
- We believe in colouring outside the lines to find the point where passion meets skill
- We believe in career ownership, encouraging people to be the captain of their acquired knowledge
- We believe in interconnection between disciplines and a relationship with the world around us
