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Introducing Upskill Canada

Palette Skills is launching Upskill Canada to help our country make the most of our talent advantage, while building a more inclusive economy in the process.

Upskill Canada is a national talent platform that helps fast-growing companies access the talent they need to compete and succeed globally, while creating new career pathways for workers to rapidly transition into high-demand roles.

Introducing Upskill Canada

Palette Skills is launching Upskill Canada to help our country make the most of our competitive advantages, while building a more inclusive economy in the process. Upskill Canada is a national talent platform that helps fast-growing companies access the talent they need to compete and succeed globally, while creating new career pathways for workers to rapidly transition into high-demand roles.
Upskill Canada - Workers Across Industries

Industry-Driven & Focused on Jobs

Upskill Canada will target employers located across the country, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in high-growth sectors, to better address their skills needs. It will focus on strengthening key growth sectors, including:

Funding Delivery Partners to Launch Programs

To launch upskilling programs in regions and sectors across the country, Upskill Canada will be distributing funding to qualified delivery partners to design and deliver employer-led upskilling programs.

The first step is for prospective delivery partners to register their interest in working with Upskill Canada through our registration portal.

Partners will be asked questions during the registration process that will help us stream them towards the right support based on the stage of program development, including accessing funding opportunities.

Helping Workers Build New Careers

Programs funded through Upskill Canada will focus on upskilling mid-career Canadians, including those from underrepresented groups, to help them connect with new work opportunities in high-growth sectors.


Participants will be able to learn about programs through Upskill Canada and will apply directly through the program delivery partner to enroll. Programming will begin opening for registration in early Fall. Join our waitlist to be the first to learn about new upskilling opportunities. 

Developing Standards & Best Practices

The Learning Sandbox will be a service for delivery partners to help them develop capacity to build programs that align with Palette’s upskilling model.

Through the Sandbox, the insights and best practices of program design that we have developed will be converted into workshops, webinars, tools, and other opportunities to support delivery partners. 

We will also capture case studies and best practices from partners and amplify this work, serving as an outlet for new insights, evaluation and continuous innovation.

Get Involved

We want your organization to be a part of this project – and getting involved is easy. 

All organizations interested in working with Upskill Canada, including prospective delivery partners, industry associations, employers, community agencies, employment services, and others, will be asked to register their interest in working with us by registering on our portal.

This will help us to quickly identify overall capacity across the ecosystem as well as potential areas for connection, alignment, and collaboration. Based on your interest, someone from our partnerships team will be in touch with next steps.  

Upskilling for Industry Initiative

Upskill Canada will serve as the platform through which Palette Skills will deliver on Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada’s Upskilling for Industry Initiative fund, a $250M investment over three years to upskill 15,000 workers across the country.

Frequently Asked Questions

Upskill Canada is a national talent platform that helps fast-growing companies access the talent they need to succeed while creating new career pathways for workers to rapidly transition into high-demand roles. It is pan-Canadian in scope, and supports Canadian-based employers, with a particular focus on SMEs in high-growth sectors including digital technology, cyber security, agricultural technology, advanced manufacturing, clean technology and biomanufacturing.

Upskill Canada will fund programs in all regions of the country.

Upskill Canada serves both its participants and Canadian employers, through the program’s delivery and network partners. 

Upskill Canada participants must have at least three years of work or volunteer experience (does not have to be consecutive years), either completed in or outside of Canada. Kindly note that work experience must be outside of full or part-time studies (high school or post-secondary), and all participants must be legally eligible to work in Canada. 

Connecting employers to robust pipelines of qualified talent is the primary purpose of Upskill Canada.  Upskill Canada will support Canadian-based employers, with a particular focus on SMEs, in key growth sectors including digital technology, cyber security, agricultural technology, advanced manufacturing, clean technology and biomanufacturing.

Upskill Canada aims to support Canadian employers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in high-growth sectors, to better address their skills needs. It will do so by upskilling mid-career Canadians, including those from underrepresented groups, and helping them connect with new work opportunities in high-growth sectors. Ultimately, Upskill Canada aims to drive lasting improvements to the upskilling ecosystem by building close collaborations across training providers, employers, and other partners to design and deliver upskilling programs and shift mindsets around talent development and utilization.  

Upskill Canada will be distributing funding to qualified delivery partners to design and deliver employer-led upskilling programs. The first step is for prospective delivery partners to register their interest in working with Upskill Canada through our registration portal. Partners will be asked questions during the registration process that will help us stream partners and provide support based on the stage of program development, including accessing funding opportunities.  

The Learning Sandbox is a service provided by Upskill Canada to delivery partners to help them develop capacity to build programs that align with the Palette upskilling model. Through the Sandbox, the insights and best practices of program design that we have developed will be converted into workshops, webinars, tools, and other opportunities to support delivery partners. 

Connecting employers to robust pipelines of qualified talent is the primary purpose of Upskill Canada. To do this, we must also connect the broadest possible network, including industry associations, economic development agencies, chambers of commerce, workforce planning boards, employment services, newcomer agencies, as well as training and post-secondary institutes. 

The value of a connected ecosystem will be felt by job seekers who have an easier time finding program opportunities, by employers who know where to go to tap into needed talent, and by organizations, who will be able to connect with a network of like minded organizations looking for opportunities to collaborate and drive impact.

Have questions about Upskill Canada?

We’re here to help! Let us know how we can help support you be part of our national upskilling ecosystem.

Eligibility for SalesCamp

To be admitted and accepted into the program, you must be:
  • Be actively searching for work and ready to take on employment opportunities tech sales.
  • Be able to legally work in Canada. 
  • Not be a full-time student.
  • Be a highly motivated individual actively seeking out new opportunities.
  • Have least 3 years of formal work experience in Canada or abroad.
  • Have an English language rating of CLB Level 8, or IELTS of 6.5 overall.
  • Be available for Zoom sessions, many of which will be full-time.
  • Be able and committed to attending networking day events as part of regular programming.
  • Be comfortable using technology and learning online.
  • Live or intend to live in the province where the program is being offered.
  • Have a reliable internet connection, device, and a quiet environment for virtual learning.
  • Be committed and able to join the Canadian workforce full-time immediately following the program.
You may not be eligible if:
  • You do not pass our application and/or interview skills assessment. 
  • You are not actively searching or able to start a job in business-to-business tech sales.
  • You are not able to legally work in Canada.
  • You do not reside in the province where the program is operating.
  • You are going to school full-time.
  • You do not have three years of work experience outside of your studies.
  • You are interested in taking SalesCamp solely for learning purposes, but are building your own business and not intending to work in the field.

Download the Fact Sheet

Download the Fact Sheet

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