A short one today because I’m still theoretically on vacation and have to catch a train (Nagano!)

Remember that RFP I told you le tout Ottawa was talking about?  It’s out.  You can read it in all its glory here.

Apparently, the government thinks there is some non-profit organization out there (provincial governments and for-profits are forbidden from bidding) which can do the following (quoted from the bid):

• Identify, analyze and measure trends in the labour market for in-demand skills over the short and longer term;
• Identify, analyze and measure skills development and training trends and outcomes that exist in Canada and internationally;
• Undertake and offer rigorous experimental research design services using both qualitative (hypothesis-generating) and quantitative (hypothesis-testing) methods, including but not limited to policy innovation and design methodologies, such as participatory action research, behavioral insights, predictive analytics, design thinking, ethnography, big data, and randomized control trials;
• Lead testing of innovative approaches working in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous governments and organizations, other orders of government, not-for-profit organizations, for-profit organizations;
• Redistribute funds to identify in-demand skills and to lead the testing of the effectiveness of innovative skills development and training approaches;
• Support replication and provide advice for scaling of proven practices in diverse labour market contexts in response to regional differences;
• Foster relationships with partners and stakeholders across the skills development and training ecosystem to leverage investments and efforts, prevent duplication and develop agreement on priorities;
• Synthesize information on new approaches domestically and internationally, including results from projects led and funded by the Centre;
• Develop technical and plain language reports on trends related to skills in-demand in the labour market (for example, 21st Century skills), and trends in skills development and training practices (for example, remote training); and
• Disseminate information widely through active engagement with stakeholders and partners, plain language reports and information to the public, events, and diverse communication vehicles, at minimum a website, a searchable project database and an open data platform.

This is, of course, utter fantasy.  No such organization exists.  Could one create such an organization, perhaps through various organizations partnering? Possibly, but it would take years.  Trust me, I know. I was with the Millennium Scholarship Foundation – an organization born of similar inspiration – from birth and it takes ages, even with all the money in the world.

The deadline for the RFP is July 4.  They expect an organization to be up, running, and capable of sensibly spending $23 million of public money before the end of the fiscal.  I’m pretty sure ESDC thinks the Social Research and Development Corporation can handle all this and has written the RFP in such a way that it can win, but however, with much respect I have for SRDC (and I have a lot), this is too much, too quickly.

This is madness.  It will lead to bad things.

Oh, and on the subject of working with the provinces in a harmonious manner, à la Canadian Institute for Health Information?  You can forget about that.  ESDC announced a “Future Skills Council” which will have no working relationship whatsoever with the Skills Lab (now called the Future Skills Centre which is only slightly less dorky), but will, you know…advise the Minister…about…stuff.  You can apply to be on it here, if you like talking about skills to no particular purpose.

I would really like to hear from ESDC, from Minster Patty Hajdu, or from Bill Morneau, or Jean-Yves Duclos about why they chose to snub the provinces this way.  Do they genuinely think that provinces will wake up one morning and say “Hey!  We should totally pay attention to the findings of a federal organization in an area of provincial jurisdiction from whose governance we have been deliberately excluded!”  What possible benefit is there to this strategy?

I would really, really, like to know.  I wonder if any of them will have the courage to explain this in public one day soon?