Each Skills for Success (SFS) Forum is an opportunity for stakeholders of all kinds in the skilled trade and technology sectors to come together, collaborate and share their knowledge about these important nine skills that have an impact at school, at work and beyond into everyday life. Through engaging plenary discussions, hands on activities and interactive roundtable discussions, the SFS Forum strengthens the bridge between education and the workforce. Educators, employers, career counsellors, and trade workers, come together to exchange ideas and tackle challenges collaboratively. Attendees leave with new Skills for Success resources and the inspiration to bring what they’ve learned back to their schools and workplaces.
Each year, the Forum shines a spotlight on one of the nine Skills for Success. This year that skill is Communication. Good communication isn’t only about talking. On a job site, that means solving problems with your team, asking the right questions, and making sure everyone is working towards the same goal. This year’s theme, Speak the Skill, captures it perfectly. Knowing how to express yourself is just as important as knowing it. However, the Forum isn’t just a conversation about what young Canadians need, it’s where the people who support them get to grow too. Anchoring the morning is keynote speaker Dr. Patrick Rouble — a former Yukon Cabinet Minister who held portfolios in both Education and Energy, Mines and Resources, Past President of Skills/Compétences Canada’s National Board of Directors, and a current Department Head at Yukon University. Few people have sat on both sides of this conversation quite like he has. It’s a perspective that matters because the skills at the centre of this conversation carry real weight.
In Canada, about 28 per cent of your earnings is directly related to your Skills for Success: Numeracy, Communication, Collaboration, Problem Solving, Writing, Adaptability, Reading, Creativity and Innovation, and Digital Skills. These foundational skills support every step of a career in the trades. Skills that are worth knowing and worth teaching.
If you’re a teacher, guidance counsellor, HR manager, administrator, employer, or parent, this is your room. Every year, the right people come together, the conversations delve deeper, and the bridge gets stronger. The Forum is where that work continues.
The SFS Forum takes place at the Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC) 2026, in Toronto, on Thursday, May 28 at the Enercare Centre from 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with a networking breakfast at 8:00 a.m. Registration is FREE!
Register HERE. To learn more, visit SCC’s website.
