Why Parents Are the Most Underused Workforce Development Asset

Canada is worried about productivity. About labour shortages. About critical minerals, AI, health care, skilled trades, housing, and nation-building infrastructure. We talk about immigration targets, about training investments, about economic strategy. But we rarely talk about the most powerful workforce development asset in the country: Parents.

The Invisible Talent Mobilizers

Across Canada, millions of parents are already acting as informal career coaches. They:

• Answer questions about jobs at the dinner table

• Help with course selection

• Encourage part-time work

• Introduce their children to friends in different industries

• Share their own work stories — successes and struggles

These everyday conversations shape aspirations long before any formal program ever begins. And yet, workforce strategy documents rarely mention parents at all.

The Research Is Clear

Career development research consistently shows that family influence is the single most powerful factor in young people’s career decision-making. Parents influence:

• Educational expectations

• Occupational aspirations

• Work values

• Confidence

• Perceptions of what is “possible”

When parents feel informed and confident, young people are more likely to:

• Stay engaged in school

• Explore a wider range of occupations

• Pursue in-demand pathways

• Transition successfully into work

When parents feel uncertain or disconnected from labour market realities, the opposite often occurs. We spend billions on systems. But we invest almost nothing in helping parents have better career conversations.

The Dinner Table Is a Workforce Development Platform

We think of workforce development as something that happens in:

• Ministries of Labour

• Economic development offices

• Colleges

• Training programs

But workforce development begins years earlier — in ordinary family conversations.

“Tell me about your day.”“What was interesting?”“What are you good at?”“Who do you admire?”“What problems would you like to solve?” Those questions build:

• Self-awareness

• Curiosity

• Agency

• Imagination

And imagination is the gateway to economic participation.

A Nation-Building Multiplier

If even half of Canadian families had just two better career conversations per month, the impact would be enormous. More informed course choices. Better alignment with emerging sectors. Increased educational engagement. Fewer lost years after graduation. Stronger mental health. Greater productivity.

Parents are not a peripheral audience in workforce strategy. They are a force multiplier.

This Is Not About Replacing Professionals

Canada’s career development professionals are highly trained and deeply committed. Schools, community agencies, and employment services do extraordinary work. But professionals see young people periodically. Parents see them daily. A modern workforce strategy should connect the two — not treat them as separate worlds.

A Simple National Upgrade

Imagine a coordinated effort where:

• Ministries share parent-friendly labour market updates

• Employers provide short career insight videos

• Schools equip families with conversation guides

• Community groups host career conversation nights

• Chambers of commerce mobilize members to support families

No massive new bureaucracy required. Just alignment. Just stewardship.

The Untapped Asset

We often describe young people as “our most precious resource.” That's true. But the adults guiding them — quietly, daily, persistently — are one of the most underused assets in our entire workforce ecosystem. If we want stronger transitions from school to work, if we want productivity gains, if we want inclusive prosperity, we should start where influence is strongest: At home.

Call to Action

• Parents: Ask one new career question this week.

• Educators: Send one conversation starter home.

• Employers: Share one story about how someone entered your field.

• Policy-makers: Include parents in your workforce strategy.

The future workforce is not built only in classrooms or boardrooms. It is built through conversations that trigger imagination of possibilities. And the most powerful workforce development partners in Canada are already sitting at the kitchen table.