Program directory · Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Talent Development
- Program code
- BNN01 (ISC)
- Core responsibility
- People, Skills and Communities
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2020-21 · Appeared and later dropped
What it does
The Talent Development Program provides analysis and advice, and develops policies and programs to build the knowledge and skills of Canadians to ensure they are equipped with the skills and tools needed by industry to participate in an innovative economy. This is accomplished through the engagement of various stakeholders, including industry through the Economic Strategy Tables; conducting analysis and developing policy advice related to talent development; administering contribution agreements that support the development of industry-led skills solutions, support youth engagement in science, technology, engineering and math, create opportunities for skills development through training, and industry-academia collaboration for youth internships; and administering Prime Minister Awards to honour and promote Canada’s most outstanding educators and share their innovative and proven teaching practices. The program delivery is guided by the overarching goals of diversity and inclusion, including gender equality. This program supports the departmental result “Canada has a highly skilled workforce that is equipped for jobs in an innovative and high-growth economy” under the People, Skills and Communities core responsibility and includes the following transfer payments: CanCode (formerly Coding for Kids), Digital Skills For Youth (DS4Y), Let’s Talk Science, Mitacs, and the Business/Higher Education Roundtable.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talent Development | This program | 2018-19 – 2022-23 | $432M |
| Talent Development | Later program (name match, high confidence) | 2021-22 – 2028-29 | $944M |
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Spending $212M, against $117M in 2019-20 (+81%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Appears to be replaced by Talent Development | Canada Spends name match across plans (an inference) |
| 2021-22 | Planned spending $101M, against $212M in 2020-21 (−52%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
| 2022-23 | Planned spending $4.9M, against $101M in 2021-22 (−95%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
| 2024 | Budget 2024 measure “Coding Skills for Kids”: $39M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match). | Budget 2024, PDF page 148 |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ 5,000,000 | 2020 | 4,000,419 This result is as of December 2019. Let's Talk Science' fiscal year is from September 1 - August 31, and the program reports on its indicators through its Annual Report provided in December. The program is expected to reach its target of 5 million youth interactions by its December 2020 reporting; however, this indicator will likely be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 5,000,000 | 2021 | 4,605,514 This result is as of December 2020. LTS' fiscal year is from September 1 - August 31, and the program reports on its indicators through its Annual Report provided in December. The program was expected to reach its target of 5 million youth interactions by its December 2020 reporting; however, this indicator was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as in-person youth interactions were limited. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 95% | 2019 | 89% Despite a result that is slightly lower than the target, nearly every intern has reported a positive impact on their career prospects. | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 95% | 2020 | 88% Due to the nature of recipient surveys, actual results fluctuate from year to year. This result is considered to fall within an acceptable range. | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 95% | 2021 | 82% Due to the nature of recipient surveys, actual results fluctuate from year to year. This result is considered to fall within an acceptable range | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 15% | 2019 | 42% The target was exceeded due to increased communications and social media posts of the Awards' digital promotional tools. | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 30% | 2020 | 34% | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 40% | 2021 | 39% The program showcases Canada’s best STEM educators who are helping their students to thrive and prepare them for successful futures. | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
No indicators in the 2026-27 plan.
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $112M | $102M |
| 2019-20 | $91.7M | $117M |
| 2020-21 | $128M | $212M |
| 2021-22 | $101M* | — |
| 2022-23 | $4.9M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 11 | 17 |
| 2019-20 | 19 | 21 |
| 2020-21 | 25 | 25 |
| 2021-22 | 25* | — |
| 2022-23 | 24* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $111,623,750 | $90,124,057 | $88,823,685 | ||
| 2019-20 plan | $91,658,561 | $91,306,141 | $93,205,768 | ||
| 2020-21 plan | $128,167,163 | $100,897,991 | $4,862,353 | ||
| Actual | $102,090,159 | $117,093,646 | $212,369,452 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
