Start your day with coffee and networking before the event.

An overview of what to expect over the course of the two days, including key themes, breakout sessions, panels, and other opportunities.

The Conference Chair will set the stage, outlining key themes and outline foundations for the discussions ahead.

Move beyond the "State of Play" to a strategic roadmap. This session identifies the immediate policy gaps and market opportunities that will define Canada’s labor landscape for the next decade.

 

The transition to a low-carbon economy requires workers with new skills in energy efficiency, decarbonization, and energy management, yet many face gaps in training and access to credentialing programs. This session will explore strategies for upskilling the workforce through certification programs, apprenticeships, and practical training initiatives, highlighting tools and approaches that help workers acquire in-demand skills. 

Economist Jim Stanford reveals what labor market data shows about automation, wages, and who really benefits from workplace transformation.

A deep dive into how city councils are moving from policy to practice. Discover the regulatory alignments and employer partnerships currently being used to build inclusive, local workforces.
 

Broadening leadership pathways by leveraging professionals from non energy or engineering backgrounds can strengthen internal capacity and accelerate progress toward organizational energy and sustainability goals. This session will examine case study examples of professionals who successfully transitioned into energy leadership roles, highlighting training approaches, organizational supports, and strategies for identifying and developing effective energy champions.
 

Our lunch tables bring together experts from across sectors, join the discussion and exchange insights.

 Visit Our Clean Economy Youth Campaign Challenge Exhibits!

This session examines how technological change — including automation, digital tools, and evolving energy-sector demands — is reshaping workforce needs. It highlights why proactive workforce planning is critical to prevent skill gaps and ensure smooth technology adoption.

This session explores how major infrastructure projects reveal critical workforce needs and highlight gaps in skills, planning, and coordination. It examines strategies for aligning available talent, budgets, and regulatory requirements to deliver projects effectively. Panelists will share lessons from large-scale initiatives on how to plan ahead, optimize resources, and implement practical solutions that ensure both project success and a workforce ready for future demands.

 

Join our interactive roundtables to engage on a topic of your choice and collaborate with peers to develop actionable industry recommendations. Each discussion is designed to explore real challenges, share insights, and produce strategies that can guide workforce and sustainability initiatives throughout the year.

Topics include:

• Reskilling Without Resetting: Leveraging existing strengths for future roles.
• Recruitment Without Barriers: Removing systemic friction in hiring.
• Digital Resilience: Equipping teams with the tools of tomorrow.
• Unlocking Underutilized Talent in Canada’s Sustainable Economy

Join a series of speakers as they pitch ideas on supporting Canada’s transition to a sustainable workforce. This fast-paced session highlights cutting-edge concepts and innovative approaches, sparking actionable ideas that participants can take back to their own organizations.

Closing reflections from the Chair, highlighting key insights from the day and setting the stage for tomorrow’s discussions

Start your day with coffee and networking before the event.

The Conference Chair will set the stage, outlining key themes and outline foundations for the discussions ahead.

This session explores how technology and AI are helping essential industries manage persistent labour shortages by reducing repetitive tasks and supporting frontline staff. It highlights practical examples of AI improving efficiency, safety, and productivity while creating space for workers to move into higher skill roles. The discussion examines what organizations must do to implement these tools responsibly, including clear communication, upskilling, and people-first design. 

This session examines how digital transformation and automation are reshaping workforce needs in the energy sector and creating opportunities to address upcoming skill shortages. It highlights the challenges posed by demographic trends and declining interest among young people in energy careers, emphasizing the need for strategic workforce planning. The session explores approaches for rethinking the skills and roles energy companies must prioritize, and offers insights into aligning training, technology adoption, and talent development with future industry demands. 

Understand the biology of the workforce. This session applies neuroscience to leadership and training, helping you design systems that reduce stress and accelerate learning. The discussion will examine practical approaches for integrating neuroscience insights into training models, leadership development, and workplace systems.

This session explores how Canada’s housing sector can build and sustain a skilled, future‑ready workforce. We look at the current labour gaps, emerging roles driven by retrofits and modernization, and the training pathways needed to meet demand.

This session explores how human‑centered and participatory design approaches can help build workforce and climate systems that are more effective, equitable, and resilient. Drawing from real‑world examples in climate action, workforce development, and community‑driven policy, it will examine what it truly means to co‑design systems with the people they are meant to serve—particularly workers and communities navigating the energy transition.
 

This panel focuses on the growing gap between skilled trades demand and the systems responsible for training, recruitment, and long-term retention. It examines where current workforce models fall short and why aligning industry needs, training pathways, and employer readiness is critical to sustaining the sector. The discussion will explore practical strategies to strengthen recruitment pipelines, improve retention, and build a more resilient skilled trades workforce.

Network with peers, visit our exhibition booths, and contribute to brainstorming activities over the lunch hour

Join our interactive roundtables to engage on a topic of your choice and collaborate with peers to develop actionable industry recommendations. Each discussion is designed to explore real challenges, share insights, and produce strategies that can guide workforce and sustainability initiatives throughout the year.

• Skills and Models for Workforce Change and Upskilling
• AI-Driven Planning: City-Scale Decarbonization
• Youth inclusion in climate adaptation decision‑making

As Canada transitions to a green economy, demand for skilled tradespeople is both growing and evolving. This shift will intensify existing capacity pressures, potentially pushing workforce requirements beyond the available supply of certified journeypersons.  Such competition threatens construction timelines, infrastructure delivery, and Canada’s ability to meet its climate targets. Recent research from the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum’s report on the green economy and skilled trades highlights the scale of workforce demand and underscore the need to strengthen training pathways, retention, and labour mobility to sustain the workforce to sustain the green transition.   

In this interactive session, participants will explore practical strategies for shaping an inclusive and high-performing workforce. Topics include behavioral science applications, the impact of AI on work and talent, remote and hybrid work models, multigenerational teams, and workforce mobility. The session will examine how these trends influence diversity, inclusion, and overall workforce dynamics, helping organizations prepare for the evolving demands of 2030.

Our chair will close the event with final reflections and clear actions to carry forward after the summit.

Join us for an informal walk to enjoy the sunset and unwind after two action-packed days (details to follow)