How to survive in the emerging economy

Either you keep learning, or you lose.

We’ve been hearing that for a long time. The well-paying jobs in factories that you could do without a high school diploma have all but disappeared. Think of the abandoned Schneiders plant in Kitchener, one among many. There’s lots of money to be made in the new economy, but only the well-educated will thrive in it, we’re told.

That grim message was driven home further by the news last week that Waterloo Region has slipped out of the Top 10 in household income in Canada.

Between 2005 and 2015, income for our region grew by just 1.4 per cent after inflation over 10 years, according to data from the 2016 census. That’s far below overall income growth of 3.8 per cent across Ontario in the same period.

This area took a pummeling as traditional manufacturing declined.

Yes, we are enjoying growth in both the high-technology and higher-education sectors, which are abundant here and generally well paid.

We’re a community of two solitudes, though: We have expanding, vibrant universities and the spinoff companies and research opportunities that come in their wake.

But we also have more high school dropouts than most communities — more than 20 per cent of our public school students don’t graduate.

“The world is becoming more demanding and more unforgiving,” said economist Larry Smith, who teaches at University of Waterloo and who was recently commissioned by Conestoga College to report on the college’s impact in the workforce.

If people want to succeed in an economy where automation is taking away jobs, they have to become so highly skilled that they can manage the sophisticated machines that now make the product.

They have to become innovative enough to see a better way to do things. They have to become great communicators because “you’re going to have to advocate” for that better way, whether it’s selling something or persuading someone.

Smith boils it all down to these two skills; communication and innovation. With them, you will survive. Without them, you won’t.

He also says you’ll have to have some kind of training beyond high school. It could be apprenticing to become a hair stylist, it could be a diploma in business administration, or it could be a physics degree.

“I fear for the transition between then and now,” he said.

What about those in danger of being left behind? Perhaps you’re a single parent, so exhausted by the

daily grind of putting food on the table and feeding your family, that you can’t imagine going to school as well.

Perhaps you’re trapped by mental illness, or by not knowing the language or culture of Canada, because you just arrived here from another country.

Smith said everyone can get a higher education, but they’re going to need more support to do it.

Here are some things we’ll need to think about as we bravely head into the new world:

Institutions like Conestoga College and St. Louis Adult Education Centre offer a second chance to everyone. They’ll need a substantial increase in resources from government to make sure there is enough support for more of their vulnerable students.

People with mental health problems that prevent them from working will need extra support to overcome those problems.

People on low incomes will need additional financial support — beyond flimsy welfare payouts — as they spend more time in school instead of work.

I hope we’re ready to be generous.