| Supporting Canada's education future
Remarks by T.J.
(Tim) Hearn, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Imperial Oil
Limited, to the Learning Partnership Western Canada Tribute Dinner
| | Calgary, Alberta |
February 9, 2006
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This is a wonderful evening and I'm delighted to participate in the Learning
Partnership's first-ever Tribute Dinner in Western Canada.
I
also want to congratulate Dr. Emery Dosdall, Colleen Klein and John Lau for
being chosen as the Learning Partnership honourees this evening in recognition
of their significant contributions to public education in Canada.
Tonight is a time to honour the achievements of these outstanding individuals.
It's also a time to reflect on the critical importance of a strong education
system to our country.
This evening I’d like to make
the case that:
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first, investing in a high quality education system for our young people is
one of the most important investments we can make for the future of Canada, and
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second, one of our best opportunities to make these investments is through
organizations like the Learning Partnership.
Education is critical to Canada's future
But before I get to
these topics, let me first say what I believe education means to our economy
and our competitive place in the world.
In the past, it used
to be that a country enjoyed a favoured position in the world if it had
plentiful natural resources or access to technology or readily available
investment capital. Those ingredients are still important. But today there's
growing belief and evidence that the only lasting competitive advantage in our
global economy lies in creating superior abilities in our workforce.
The American economist Lester Thurow once suggested that "in the 21st century
natural resources will be irrelevant. Capital will move around the world.
Technology will move around the world. The only strategic asset is the skills
of the workforce."
Now, you won't catch me saying that
natural resources are irrelevant. Far from it!
But when
Thurow talks about the value of education, he's clearly on the right track.
Certainly, in my view, the skills of our workforce are our country's most
strategic asset.
My deepest belief at Imperial is that our
real competitive advantage comes from the skilled and innovative people in
every part of our business. Without talented and capable employees, we simply
would not be as effective in helping to meet the energy needs of Canadians.
In a sense, we are a microcosm of the world around us. Just as our company's
success depends on knowledgeable, ingenious and capable individuals, so does
our country's success.
During the international part of my
career, I've seen first-hand how capable Canadians are in comparison to their
peers from other countries. We have an exceptional talent for innovation and
technology. And we have some of the richest natural resources in the world.
This solid combination of brains, innovation and resources should provide
Canada with a natural advantage in the global marketplace.
So, it’s really up to us whether we can fully develop this advantage to our
collective benefit. This then has to begin with the education of our young
people.
We have been blessed with a good public education
system. Canadian students appear in the top part of surveys of OECD
countries. Our well-educated workforce has contributed to our prosperity and
conditions that make Canada an attractive place to live.
But today's and yesterday's accomplishments provide no guarantee of tomorrow's
success. In a world that is continuously becoming more competitive, we need to
keep an eye on what's happening in the rest of the world. Others are catching
up, or in some cases, passing us.
These other countries also
believe that the effectiveness of their human resources dictates how well
their country does on the world stage. They understand that education is
critical to preparing their young people for a changing global economy. They
recognize the urgent need to develop a technologically capable workforce for
today's knowledge-intensive work environment. Many of these countries have
made education in math, science and engineering a key strategic priority.
Let me share some numbers for your consideration.
In
Canada, about six percent of undergraduates earn engineering degrees.
Contrast this with Japan, Germany, Korea and France, where engineers can be
one-fifth of all graduates, and with China where about 45 percent of all
baccalaureates are in engineering.
And here’s
another statistic: In Canada, science and engineering degrees make up about 20
percent of all new degrees, well below the OECD average. Compare that with
Korea where science and engineering degrees are double this percentage.
The implications are clear. If we are to compete in today's technological
world, we need to keep pace with these countries — or risk falling behind. We
need to produce more of our own math, science and engineering graduates. And
we need to reach out to students at an early age to develop their interest in
these subjects.
Is our education system equal to the
task of meeting this immense challenge?
I believe our
educators are working hard to teach the knowledge and skills to prepare our
young people for success in our changing world, within the framework they are
operating.
But the actions of our teachers alone are not
sufficient. It will take all of us to ensure that our young people learn what
they need to learn in order to succeed in this century.
In addition, we clearly need to objectively examine our own education systems
with a view for continuous improvement. Canada's own "poster-child" public
school board is in Edmonton. This was recently confirmed in a study by
William Ouchi of the University of California, Los Angeles, who looked at 220
schools in North America. Edmonton's public school board has done remarkably
well, and much of its success is due to three factors — public and independent
school competition supported by Alberta government grants, school choice in
the public system, and school-based budgeting giving principals much more
flexibility to manage resources. Several school systems in North America,
including Seattle, New York City, Cincinnati, Houston and British Columbia are
now copying the Edmonton model.
Facing competition from
private schools, the Edmonton public school board decided that it wanted to
offer institutions that were just as good as any private institution in the
city, so it undertook several initiatives to achieve that goal.
In support of this philosophy of competition, a recent OECD report pointed out
that the three Canadian provinces with the highest levels of achievement —
Alberta, Quebec and British Columbia — are also the ones that favor the
greatest competition between independent and public schools.
How business can support education
Ensuring students have the best
possible education is everybody's responsibility, including parents, community
organizations and the business community. And business has a clear and vested
interest in education.
The reason that most of our
Canadian businesses are — and must be — committed to improving the quality and
effectiveness of our education system, has little to do with philanthropy. The
fact is our success, our competitiveness, our future depend on it.
One of my principal challenges as a CEO is to continually renew the company so
that our workforce remains strong, vibrant and resilient. This is to ensure
that we not only adapt to change, but also help to shape change in our
evolving industry. To do that, our company relies on intelligent, energetic,
enthusiastic and well-educated young people.
And the
skills required by our current workforce go far beyond the old traditional
qualifications. Today we're constantly on the lookout to hire individuals who
are technologically adept. Who have the ability to solve problems, to
communicate effectively, to act on their own initiative and who work well in
teams.
These requirements, of course, are not unique to
our company. They are qualities all of our businesses and organizations count
on everyday.
So, if these are the qualities that business
expects from the education system, what should the education system expect
from business? What can we offer as business leaders to help make our
education system more effective?
One of the practical ways
business can help is by providing a substantial measure of financial support.
At Imperial, for example, we've invested between $15 million and $20 million
in education-related initiatives over the past five years. This is money well
invested.
But business has more to offer than just
money. We can share our expertise and our human resources. And we can
contribute to education-business partnerships that develop exciting programs
for schools that help give our young people a competitive edge in today's
world.
And that's where the Learning Partnership comes
in.
Importance of the Learning Partnership
This important organization is developing partnerships that strengthen public
education. It is creating innovative programs that are enriching the
education of young Canadians. It is helping schools to produce confident,
high-achieving young people.
It's for these reasons that
we're proud to be a founding sponsor of this organization.
Tonight, time does not allow me to describe the many exciting programs that
are being led by the Learning Partnership. But let me share with you one very
compelling experience I had.
A couple of years ago I had the
opportunity to visit a junior high and see one of the Learning Partnership's
programs in action. It's called the I³
Program. I³ stands for Investigate! Invent!
Innovate! And it's an integrated science and technology program for students
in grades 7 and 8.
For those who aren't familiar with
this program, I³ challenges students to study a
problem in their lives and then invent a product or process to solve it. To do
that, students work closely with their teachers to turn their innovative ideas
into reality, using science and technological principles that they've learned
in class. The program culminates in an "invention convention," which brings
together young inventors to exhibit the latest in science and technology
innovations.
What I like about this program is not only
the inventions — which are impressive — but also the way it engages and gets
the students excited about science and technology.
From
that visit, I remembered the enthusiasm of the teachers, how keen the students
were to talk about their work, and how proud they were of their inventions. I
remember thinking here was a program that was making a real connection to
these young people — encouraging them to solve problems, to think like
entrepreneurs, to work in teams. Very much the same qualities we need to
encourage in students to allow them to function in today's society.
It's very satisfying that programs of this kind are having such an impact in
our education system. The I³ Program has been hugely successful in Ontario,
and I'm pleased to report that it's now being piloted here in Calgary at five
junior high schools.
If past signs are any indication,
it will have the same kind of significant impact on Alberta's students and
teachers. And that's good news for the future of our young people in this
province. In fact, it is good news for all of us.
Conclusion
It's important to build on this success in Alberta.
It's also important to remember that innovative education initiatives of this
kind don't happen by chance.
It's time to support the
excellent work of the Learning Partnership
Contributing to
innovative programs and supporting a high quality education system requires
people stepping forward and dedicating the time and energy to make a
difference.
People like our honourees this evening —
Emery Dosdall, Colleen Klein and John Lau — who are working in our communities
to support our youth and who have contributed immensely to public education.
People like Veronica Lacey and her dedicated team at the Learning Partnership.
And people like you, who are champions and supporters of the Partnership.
But, of course, much remains to be done. Together, as community and business
leaders, our common goal is to actively support high quality levels of
education with excellent achievement for all. To support our schools and
teachers in the teaching of math, science and technology. To continue to make
important investments in Canada’s education future.
Currently, the Learning Partnership is expanding its program in Western
Canada. And where better to do so, than right here in Alberta? Alberta is a
source of innovative thinking. It's a province where new approaches to
education are being promoted. It has a "can-do" attitude. It's a superb place
for this organization to grow and further contribute to our education system.
In closing, I strongly encourage you to join me in supporting the Learning
Partnership. Let's help this organization to continue to make a vital
difference to young people here and across this country.
For more information
Visit
www.thelearningpartnership.ca to learn more about The Learning Partnership
and its programs.
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