Brief description of the International Space Station for Work, excerpted from a forthcoming paper:

"Governments in Canada and around the globe are struggling to incorporate modern technology into their employment and training systems. As fears of automation increase, and businesses struggle to close widening skills gaps, pressure is building on policymakers to find ways to adapt to a changing landscape.

The current tendency in Canada is either to partner with private sector companies like LinkedIn, or to fund incubators hoping that solutions will develop from the ground up. These responses are inadequate for the task, fail to take advantage of the opportunities offered by new technology, and in some cases may put personal data at risk.

We must think bigger.

We should take inspiration from projects of the past, like the International Space Station, where countries facing a common challenge worked together to build a transformational solution. An approach which uses the resources of governments, but is built and managed like a modern technology company, could create an enabling infrastructure which changes the game for jobseekers, employment advisors, and businesses."

The full document is available to anyone on request, with the understanding that it's still in draft form.