Adaptive Labour Market Research Network

Adapting Together

Calgarians and Albertans are facing revolutionary changes in living, working, and learning. Technology, globalization, an unstable global energy market, and the structural impact of the pandemic are contributing to seismic economic and social changes.

Adaptability can be reactive, as in learning to live in a new reality during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, adaptability can also be proactive and intentional, characterized by a culture and infrastructure that anticipate and embrace change while planning responses.

At the root of adaptation is learning. To become a city that adapts, Calgarians must possess the capacity to learn — and celebrate its ability to learn. To attract and retain investment, Calgarians must learn faster and better than others.

Imagine a Calgary where citizens view disruption as a chance to adapt and reinvent themselves. Imagine a Calgary where organizations are designed to be resilient and embrace change as an opportunity to diversify and grow. Imagine a Calgary with a continuously evolving talent pool. Imagine a city that attracts investment and talent from across the globe because it’s known as one that learns its way forward. Imagine the vibrancy of living, working, and playing in this city.

The LearningCITY Collective, with our partners at the Alberta Centre for Labour Market Research, is proud to be a founding partner in the Adaptive Labour Market Research Network (ALRN). The ALRN aims to accelerate research into labour market adaptation by facilitating collaborative, high-impact, open, and accessible research.

ALRN Series 1: The Path to an Adaptive Labour Market

The ALRN is developing a seven-study series exploring the path to an adaptive labour market. Each study will incorporate a discussion paper and insight summary.

  • Study 1: Towards a Theory of a Human Capital Resource Supply Chain: Reimaging Regional Labour Markets

  • Study 2: The Eight Forces: Forces Reshaping the Regional Human Capital Resource Supply Chain

  • Study 3: Mapping the Human Capital Resource Development Ecosystem

  • Study 4: Place-based Experiential Learning: A Path Co-Creation

  • Study 5: Open Learning and a Decoupled Skills System

  • Study 6: The Risk of Managing Risk

  • Study 7: Navigating the Human Capital Supply Chain

How Does ALRN Work?

The ALMR model is straightforward. An adaptive labour market depends on collaboration between educators, community partners, and learners. Suppose you are leading (or want to lead) a research study and are interested in collaborating with others with expertise or interest in a specific area. In that case, you share the opportunity with the network and move forward. The research project team organically forms itself and accelerates high-impact research outcomes. In addition, ALRN provides a path to hosting symposiums or collaborative workshops to facilitate building the ALRN. Examples of WIL research studies are in the LearningCITY Collective’s research and policy library.

The ALRN welcomes educators, community partners, employers and learners. If you want to participate, please complete the short introductory application by clicking the button below. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Dr. David Finch, LearningCITY’s Director of Research and Policy, at dfinch@learningcity.ca.