This text is part of the special Business Challenges section
The École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS), leader in engineering training, and Pomerleau, leader in construction in Quebec, were invited by La Factry — School of Creativity Sciences to work together on a project of skills accelerator. This experience also involved a cohort from La Factry accustomed to working in co-creation workshops during which their transversal skills are regularly called upon, as well as the Cree community of Waskaganish.
The world of work is in full transformation. By 2025, 85 million jobs worldwide could be changed or eliminated, and 97 million new jobs could emerge. An observation which invites companies, public or private, organizations and individuals to enhance and requalify their skills to face this challenge.
Adapt to current and future changes
To successfully navigate these transformations, the mastery and acquisition of transversal skills — creativity, communication, critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration — are now essential, both for managers and employees.
“We must do things differently, adapt to the reality of the market in which we operate. How can we manage to accompany [nos gestionnaires] in this transformation? Obviously with different degrees of training, but also a lot with creativity,” says Karl Blackburn, president and CEO of the Conseil du patronat du Québec (CPQ).
The construction and engineering sector is not immune to these changes, of course. Hence the importance of focusing on innovation to adapt to the new requirements that will shake up this industry. It is therefore essential, for current workers and engineering students alike, to train in creative skills now.
“Faced with challenges that are not always technical in nature, the ability to provide creative solutions, to think outside of traditional frameworks and to adopt a holistic perspective becomes crucial,” explains Vincent Melanson, R&D and project manager. of special projects in the Innovation group at Pomerleau.
An ambitious project
The Skills Accelerator project consisted, using transversal skills, of collectively designing a residence for seniors in the Cree community of Waskaganish. This place of leisure and exchange had to meet the technical criteria of a living environment adapted to indigenous traditions.
To accomplish this integrative project with a social content, the same specifications (with a few nuances), including architectural, logistical, sociocultural and sustainable considerations, were given to the following groups: two cohorts of ETS students in the framework of their end-of-study project; Pomerleau employees struggling with the need to adapt their work to the new standards that are emerging in the medium term in this sector; a cohort from La Factry, used to working in co-creation workshops during which their transversal skills are regularly called upon; members of the Cree community of Waskaganish.
The ambition: to test the effects of co-creation workshops such as given by La Factry with young ETS students on the eve of entering the job market.
According to one of the project managers at ETS, “the objective […] was to show students other ways of working, thinking, […] to approach an engineering problem differently by adopting a broader perspective. It is to align with the increasingly widespread approaches in engineering where teams are multidisciplinary and where socio-cultural and environmental aspects take on more and more importance in projects.”
Promising results
The collaborative and co-creative work resulted in a consensual and evolving project, imagined following an exploration of social reality and indigenous culture.
“Meetings and discussions with users should take place in all engineering projects. We received some advice that I believe will stay with us for a long time,” a team of ETS learners told us.
Integrating the skills of the future for tomorrow’s workers is more crucial than ever: “In addition to traditional technical skills, it is essential that future engineers develop social skills,” says Vincent Melanson. The ability to communicate, collaborate and understand the varied needs of stakeholders is essential. »
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.