A web platform that helps Albertans match their skills and experience with the most sought-after jobs — as well as find opportunities to learn in-demand skills — is now available for a limited-time public preview. SkillUp provides an incredibly detailed (and user-friendly) Alberta labour market overview and education referral tool.
Built by Cybera (Alberta’s not-for-profit research and education network organization), the goal of SkillUp is to provide a common resource for everyday Albertans to identify the most sought after job credentials and skills required by hiring employers, and identify education pathways and programs to obtain those skills.
“To keep up with our rapidly changing economy, SkillUp provides real-time insight into Alberta’s job market, including the most in-demand jobs and sought after skills,” says Barb Carra, Cybera’s President and CEO. “Exploring and understanding these industry needs is crucial for both prospective employers, employees and educators who are investing in and growing Alberta’s workforce and economy. SkillUp has been developed to give all Albertans access to the best available data when planning their future career paths.”
“This product is exactly the kind of innovative thinking we foster in our province—organizations finding ways to address gaps between resources and the people who need them,” says Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education. “We’re pleased to have provided funding to Cybera to support the development of a helpful platform that connects Albertans to the information and resources they need to gain skills and have fulfilling work. Not only does this empower Albertans to take charge of their career and educational goals, it also helps align post-secondary programming with labour market needs.”
Background
Cybera’s team of developers and data scientists have spent the past five years building the SkillUp platform. Seed funded by the Government of Alberta, SkillUp allows users to plan their career development based on their interests and experience — mapped against market demand. It also outlines potential education routes users can follow to obtain sought-after skills.
The platform helps overcome some of the biggest challenges facing Alberta’s labour ecosystem today:
- Current and future job seekers struggle to know what skills they should develop to be more employable.
- Educators struggle to stay up to date on where the workforce gaps are.
- Learners struggle to find the right education programs to effectively acquire in-demand skills.
Key features
SkillUp focuses on three user pathways:
Occupations Information: Provides real-time insight into Alberta’s job market, including the most in-demand jobs and sought after skills, capabilities, and certifications. It can be filtered according to sector or location, and uses information scraped from around 58,000 job ads in Alberta, per day.
Skills Explorer: Supports experienced and/or currently employed Albertans looking to transition into another field or role, utilizing the knowledge and skills they have already gained. By working at the level of skills, the tool suggests possibilities they may never have considered before, as well as possible training paths for them to enter different roles.
Interests Quiz: Supports inexperienced Albertans (including high school students) to find potential occupations that best suit their interests and personality, while also highlighting the jobs that are most sought after in Alberta today. Once an occupation has been selected, the tool provides personalized education suggestions to access that career.
Seeking feedback during the public preview
All Albertans (including education providers) are invited to access SkillUp and provide feedback to Cybera. These insights will help shape the tool and prepare it for a full public launch. The public preview will remain open until March 31, 2024.
For more information, please visit the SkillUp website, or contact our team at skillup@cybera.ca.