Keynote: Linda Duxbury

Friday, April 20: Entering the dragon’s den?
What high school graduates can expect in the world of work

Linda Duxbury
Professor, Sprott School of Business

What can students expect when they graduate?  The answer depends on their skills and education.  Those who have the skills that the market seeks (i.e. skilled trades, engineering, accounting, nursing) will be "winners" in this market. They will have their choice of jobs and bargaining power in the employer/employee relationship. Unfortunately, the picture is not as rosy for those without the skills required by the market. These individuals will be underemployed and underpaid.  They will have little room to negotiate when it comes to how they are treated by their employer and relatively little mobility.  Dr. Duxbury will outline what it will take to survive this type of labour market and what teachers can do to help students prepare for the future.

Biography

Duxbury is a noted pioneer in the field of organizational health. Over the years her interest in issues associated with managing a changing workforce has earned her a variety of awards that recognize her research, teaching and her contribution to public and private sector work places.
 
Linda Duxbury has done work with most departments in the federal public sector including the Treasury Board, Statistics Canada, Health Canada, DND, Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada and Transport Canada to name a few. She has also worked with most provincial governments in Canada and municipalities such as Calgary, Kitchener, Waterloo, Ottawa and Peel Region. She has also collaborated with the Alberta Teachers’ Association has part of a national study on work-life balance.
Linda Duxbury noted pioneer in the field of organizational health. Over the years her interest in issues associated with managing a changing workforce has earned her a variety of awards that recognize her research, teaching and her contribution to public and private sector work places.

Linda Duxbury has done work with most departments in the federal public sector including the Treasury Board, Statistics Canada, Health Canada, DND, Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada and Transport Canada to name a few. She has also worked with most provincial governments in Canada and municipalities such as Calgary, Kitchener, Waterloo, Ottawa and Peel Region.

Keynote: Stephen Murgatroyd 

Saturday, April 21
Slaying the Dragon: Why University is Not the Destination Alberta Needs for Most of Its Students
Stephen Murgatroyd, PhD FBPsS FRSA
Chief Scout, The Innovation Expedition Inc.
 
As Alberta looks to its future, we see growth opportunities clouded by significant social, economic and environmental challenges.  A new curriculum, which will give emphasis to flexibility, choice and personalized learning, could be the moment of breakthrough for applied, practical and creative education (also known as CTS). What will the future hold for applied and creative programs and how can we engage learners, parents and community in a new kind of learning for a new era in Alberta? Alberta is vulnerable, how can we prepare our learners with trades and skills which will make it strong?
  
Stephen Murgatroyd is an educator, writer and presenter whose new book, Rethinking Education – Learning and the New Renaissance, outlines an approach to problem based learning which aims to build skills, resilience and adaptive learning fit for our challenges.