Take On The Future

CAREERS: The Next Generation
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Take on the Future is a podcast from CAREERS, featuring the conversations shaping Alberta's workforce—from today's biggest challenges to tomorrow's opportunities. A journalist. A musician. And somehow... a workforce podcast. Each episode features conversations with employers, educators, industry leaders, government representatives, and others who are helping attract, develop, and retain the people needed to keep pace with Alberta's growth.

  1. 2 days ago

    Stop Saying No | Jennifer McClure

    Episode Overview Jennifer McClure joins Stacey and Jacquie to talk about career ownership, better leadership and the value of asking good questions. She shares the blunt feedback that changed her approach as an HR leader: stop being the person who explains why something can’t be done, and start helping people figure out how it can. Jennifer also makes the case for thoughtful disruption and using AI to free people up for higher-value work, rather than simply cutting tasks or jobs. Chapters 00:51 Meet Jennifer McClure 02:14 Why HR Belongs in the Room 08:25 Who Owns Your Career? 13:33 The Feedback That Changed Her Leadership 17:24 Disrupt What’s Already Working 21:04 AI as an Empowerment Tool 26:04 Can Jennifer Defend a Terrible HR Idea? Relevant Links / Resources Jennifer McClure: jennifermcclure.net DisruptHR: disruptHR.co LinkedIn: Jennifer McClure Hosts: Stacey Allan and Jacquie Daniels Executive Producer: Ann Normand

    Stop Saying No | Jennifer McClure

  2. 20 Oct ·  Bonus

    Safe Companies Perform Better | Mark Hoosein

    Safety is about keeping people from getting hurt. But the companies that do it well often see something else too: better quality, less rework, and stronger retention. Mark Hoosein, CEO of the Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA), joins Stacey and Jacquie to talk about what separates a genuine safety culture from a safety program. They explore why workers are especially vulnerable during their first year with a company, even when they already have years of experience; how supervisors and coworkers influence whether people feel comfortable speaking up; and why investing in safety can make good business sense. Mark also offers practical advice for smaller employers that want to improve their safety systems and explains why, at its core, workplace safety comes down to one simple responsibility: taking care of each other. Chapters 00:09 Introducing Mark Hoosein 00:47 Why the First Year Is Higher Risk 02:00 What “Crew Culture” Really Means 05:35 Can Workers Tell If You Take Safety Seriously? 07:42 Where Small Employers Can Start 09:16 Why Safe Companies Perform Better 12:50 COR, SECOR and the Business Case for Certification 15:39 The One Thing Employers Should Remember 16:28 Would You Rather? 19:14 Free Safety Resources for Employers and Workers Links: https://www.youracsa.ca/ https://www.youracsa.ca/cor-secor/ https://www.youracsa.ca/ipc/ Hosts: Stacey Allan and Jacquie Daniels Executive Producer: Ann Normand

    Safe Companies Perform Better | Mark Hoosein

  3. 13 Oct

    Retirement Needs an Update | Lisa Taylor

    We’re living longer, but many of our ideas about careers are still built around retiring at 65. What does that mean for employers overlooking experienced workers, and for people who still have plenty they want to contribute? Lisa Taylor, co-founder and CEO of Challenge Factory, joins Stacey Allan and Jacquie Daniels to explore how longer working lives are changing the workplace. She challenges the idea that older workers need to step aside for younger people and explains how employers can create new career paths that put experience to work. From the ageism hiding in birthday cards to the importance of a present-tense introduction, Lisa makes the case for rethinking what comes next. There’s also a little Justin Bieber. Chapters 00:00 Meet Lisa Taylor 01:07 Justin Bieber and the writing process 02:10 Why Lisa founded Challenge Factory 05:28 Five drivers of workforce change 08:23 Retirement needs an update 11:51 Finding purpose beyond retirement 14:15 Why older workers aren’t taking younger workers’ jobs 17:04 The ageism we reinforce ourselves 22:07 From anti-aging to pro-aging 24:20 Rethinking career paths and the value of experience 28:14 Keeping healthcare experience in the workforce 30:03 Everyone deserves a present-tense introduction 30:53 What Canada can learn from other countries 34:19 Rapid fire 35:34 A Bieber Easter egg 36:14 Where to find Lisa Relevant Links and Resources Challenge Factory: https://challengefactory.ca/ Hosts: Stacey Allan and Jacquie Daniels Executive Producer: Ann Normand

    Retirement Needs an Update | Lisa Taylor

  4. 29 Sept

    From Reconciliation to Opportunity | JP Gladu

    Episode Overview Economic reconciliation is about more than consultation. It means Indigenous communities having a meaningful role in the businesses and opportunities shaping their lands and their futures. JP Gladu, Founder and Principal of Mokwateh and an Anishinaabe leader from Sand Point First Nation, joins Stacey and Jacquie to talk about what that looks like in practice. He shares his own community’s history of displacement and return, and explains why economic participation, ownership, and employment are essential parts of reconciliation. The conversation also turns to the enormous opportunity represented by Indigenous youth. JP challenges employers to move beyond good intentions, spend time in communities, rethink traditional approaches to recruitment, and create workplaces where Indigenous employees can genuinely see themselves belonging. And, naturally, it ends with a competitive moose call. Chapters 00:01 Meet JP Gladu 01:20 Sand Point First Nation’s displacement and return 08:10 What economic reconciliation means 11:10 What economic reconciliation looks like when it works 17:10 How employers can start building Indigenous relationships 20:30 Creating better opportunities for Indigenous youth 22:00 The impact of the Outland Youth Employment Program 29:30 Why employers need to spend time in communities 34:00 Building an Indigenous engagement strategy that lasts 40:50 Indigenous youth and Canada’s workforce opportunity 45:55 Why representation and belonging matter 51:55 What gives JP hope 54:25 Rapid fire and the great moose-call competition Relevant Links & Resources Mokwateh JP is Founder and Principal of Mokwateh, an Indigenous-owned consulting firm focused on building relationships and economic partnerships between Indigenous communities and organizations. Indigenous-owned Consulting & Advisory Services | Mokwateh Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) JP previously served as President and CEO of the organization, which supports Indigenous businesses and economic development across Canada. Canadian Council for Indigenous Business | CCIB Hosts: Stacey Allan and Jacquie Daniels Executive Producer: Ann Normand

    From Reconciliation to Opportunity | JP Gladu

  5. 28 Sept ·  Bonus

    The Minister on Alberta Apprenticeship Day | Myles McDougall

    Episode Overview Alberta is training more apprentices, but demand for skilled workers is still climbing. Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall joins Stacey and Jacquie for Alberta Apprenticeship Day to talk about what comes next. He explains why employers have a major role in apprenticeship completion, how the province is expanding training capacity, and why access to skilled workers matters to Alberta’s ability to attract new investment. The conversation also looks at getting young people into the trades earlier, and ends with the Minister being challenged to say “Happy Apprenticeship Day” in another language. Chapters 02:43 Meet Minister Myles McDougall 04:44 How Serious Is Alberta’s Skilled Trades Shortage? 06:24 Expanding Apprenticeship Training Capacity 09:38 Getting More Apprentices Onto Job Sites 11:55 Why Apprentices Don’t Always Finish 14:01 Starting the Trades Conversation Earlier 16:03 Why Workforce Capacity Matters to Investment 18:05 A Very Specific Language Challenge Relevant Links • Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training • Become an Apprentice in Alberta • NAIT Advanced Skills Centre • CAREERS: The Next Generation Hosts: Stacey Allan and Jacquie Daniels Executive Producer: Ann Normand

    The Minister on Alberta Apprenticeship Day | Myles McDougall

  6. 15 Sept

    The Wisdom of Indecision | Candy Ho

    Young people are often asked to choose a career before they have had much chance to discover what fits. Dr. Candy Ho, Chancellor’s Chair at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and an internationally recognized career development scholar, argues that uncertainty can be useful when it keeps us curious and moving forward. Chapters 00:09 Meet Dr. Candy Ho 01:09 What Origami Taught Candy About Her Career 03:07 Take the Pressure Off Career Planning 04:20 Why a “Wrong” Internship Can Still Be Valuable 06:34 Stop Asking Kids What They Want to Be 08:37 Meaningful Work and Making a Living 10:05 The Wisdom of Indecision 12:15 What Young Workers Bring to the Job 13:19 What Employers Should Teach 15:56 What Work-Integrated Learning Adds 18:25 Who Are Career Influencers? 22:40 Skills for a Green Workforce 24:33 The Skills Awareness Gap 26:38 Careers Were Never a Straight Line 28:58 Would You Rather? Links Discovering Careers An Organisational Guide to Skills for Green Workforce Transformation Curricula for Change Dr. Candy Ho at Kwantlen Polytechnic University Challenge Factory Canadian Career Development Foundation Candy Ho on LinkedIn Hosts: Stacey Allan and Jacquie Daniels Executive Producer: Ann Normand

    The Wisdom of Indecision | Candy Ho

  7. 1 Sept

    From TV Builds to Building the Trades | Mike Holmes Jr. & Ian MacFayden

    For too long, the skilled trades have been treated as a fallback. Mike Holmes Jr. and Ian MacFayden want to change that. The co-founders of Point Load Media and hosts of The Trade Life join Stacey and Jacquie to talk about why young people are still pushed toward university, what it will take to put the trades on equal footing, and just how many career paths can open up once someone learns a trade. Ian shares his own unlikely path from university and accounting to carpentry and entrepreneurship, while Mike reflects on growing up with one of the most recognizable names in construction and building a professional identity of his own. They also dig into what employers should expect from young people entering the trades, whether Canada has a shortage of workers or a shortage of skills, and why mentorship and craftsmanship matter as much as recruitment. Plus, Ian introduces Project Network, a professional networking platform built specifically for the skilled trades. Along the way, they tackle construction’s resistance to new technology, building better homes, a 135-kilometre ultramarathon and, naturally, whether Mike would rather build a house with Ian or spend a month filming television with his dad. Chapters 00:44 Meet Mike Holmes Jr. and Ian MacFayden 01:40 The Kelly Ripa Construction Question 03:42 Growing Up with the Holmes Name 05:53 What a 135-Kilometre Race Teaches You About Business 08:56 How Mike and Ian Met 10:26 The Birth of Point Load Media 11:33 Life in the Skilled Trades 12:34 Why the Trades Are Still Treated as a Backup Plan 18:03 What Should Come After High School? 19:20 Changing Perceptions of the Skilled Trades 21:11 Where a Career in the Trades Can Lead 24:24 Learning the Business Side of the Trades 25:59 Introducing Project Network 31:15 Building a Network for the Trades 37:26 Making Tradespeople Easier to Find 40:19 What Young People Should Expect on the Job Site 44:26 Worker Shortage or Skills Shortage? 46:47 Building Better, Not Just Building More 49:24 What Would You Ask the Construction Industry? 51:27 Technology and Women in Construction 51:55 Why Construction Resists New Technology 54:46 Would You Rather? Learn More: Point Load Media Project Network The Trade Life Podcast Hosts: Stacey Allan and Jacquie Daniels Executive Producer: Ann Normand

    From TV Builds to Building the Trades | Mike Holmes Jr. & Ian MacFayden

  8. 18 Aug

    Alberta’s Best-Kept Education Secret | David Pye

    Alberta’s collegiate model is giving students an earlier, more hands-on look at career pathways, and helping employers build the skilled workforce they need. David Pye, Dean of the School of Trades and Technology at Red Deer Polytechnic, joins Stacey and Jacquie to explain how collegiates bring K–12 schools, post-secondary institutions and industry together. They explore how the Central Alberta Collegiate Institute is helping students test-drive the skilled trades, build confidence and move into apprenticeship with a clearer sense of where they want to go. David also challenges old assumptions about trades careers, explains how apprenticeship credentials can open doors well beyond the jobsite, and shares why giving young people permission to explore, and even fail, can help them find the right path. Chapters 00:00 What Is a Collegiate? 02:05 Building the Central Alberta Collegiate 03:06 Beyond the High School Shop Class 05:10 Building the Skilled Trades Pipeline 06:49 Bringing Industry into the Classroom 09:47 Changing Parents’ Perceptions of the Trades 12:58 Where a Trades Career Can Lead 14:42 Why David Is Passionate About Trades Education 16:44 From High School to WorldSkills 20:02 What Collegiate Could Mean for Alberta 22:00 Advice to David’s Younger Self 23:14 Would You Rather? Links:Red Deer Polytechnic Red Deer Polytechnic Dual Credit programs Central Alberta Collegiate Institute – RDP overview Hosts: Stacey Allan and Jacquie Daniels Executive Producer: Ann Normand

    Alberta’s Best-Kept Education Secret | David Pye
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About

Take on the Future is a podcast from CAREERS, featuring the conversations shaping Alberta's workforce—from today's biggest challenges to tomorrow's opportunities. A journalist. A musician. And somehow... a workforce podcast. Each episode features conversations with employers, educators, industry leaders, government representatives, and others who are helping attract, develop, and retain the people needed to keep pace with Alberta's growth.

Information

  • Creator
    CAREERS: The Next Generation
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 CAREERS: The Next Generation
  • Show Website
    Take On The Future