However, it is times like these that bring out the best in us; that provide us with an opportunity to re-imagine a better future and collectively to build a better world. In a very short period of time we've seen what's possible.
We've seen politicians from all parties working together for the benefit of all Canadians and for the benefit of peoples from other nations. We've seen front-line workers risking their health, safety and well-being for the benefit of us all. We've seen the reduction hydrocarbon emissions in China by a staggering 25% over a period of one month, with a decline in global emissions predicted to be as much as 1.3% this year. This will hopefully allow the world to develop more aggressive climate targets, while spurning innovation in the existing energy as well as in the Alternative Energy sector. We've witnessed extraordinary examples of leadership by our politicians our business leaders, healthcare professionals, and by ordinary citizens demonstrating compassion for each other in recognition that we are all in this together.
What is clear to me however, is that things are likely to get worse before they get better, and while we need to focus on dealing with the present situation, we also need to be looking forward and preparing for what comes next. This amounts to a shared challenge.
I believe KMIC and our partner WINCan (Workplace Innovation Canada Network) has a responsibility to accelerate our mandate and mission to help Canadians and Canadian organizations thrive and prosper in the increasingly complex knowledge economy; to increase Canada's capability and capacity for Innovation, and to advance the global body of knowledge necessary to allow us to collectively address the challenges that lie ahead.
While our business has also been directly impacted by the current situation. We are in a unique position having had years of experience operating virtually with relatively low overheads. To this end, I've undertaken to have the Knowledge Management Institute of Canada contribute our knowledge expertise and experience in the following ways:
As cases of COVID-19 have been particularly devastating for those between the ages of 40 and 80, we face a real, tangible risk of critical knowledge loss across all industry sectors. Coupled with this, is the huge number of displaced workers from Industries, which are most acutely affected by the pandemic. There is no guarantee that these workers will return to their jobs after this is all over, and then of course, we have an aging workforce.
Since our Inception in 2008, KMIC has trained and certified more Knowledge Management professionals than anyone else in Canada. I believe these knowledge managers have a key role to play now and in the future in helping organizations create strategies to protect against the loss of critical knowledge, to build institutional memory, to support operational and organizational effectiveness, and to help develop sustainable cultures of innovation within their organizations.
For the foreseeable future KMIC will be offering all our training programs online at no cost to help increase the number of people with the requisite skills to take back to their organizations to promote new ways of thinking working and learning.
Advisory Support
We will be offering our Lifeline product, a virtual advisory service we launched in 2017 for a nominal charge. We will be offering this service to support client projects we feel will have the most significant impact on the lives of Canadians.
Just in Time Training and Learning
KMIC will be launching two initiatives to support just in time, as needed training and e-learning. The first will be a series of weekly live webinars and micro training sessions. Topics will be emergent, but our focus will be on what we see is the critical skills, mindsets, knowledge and experience necessary for rebuilding our economy post COVID-19.
For What it’s Worth
Inspired by the famous protest song by Buffalo Springfield, we are in the process of launching a new podcast series called "For What it's Worth” These podcasts will provide additional context for the content presented in the webinars. We will engage in dialogue with subject matter experts from across the across a wide variety of Industries and disciplines to hear their views about the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses and on the industry sectors in which they operate and Our focus will be on what actions they will be taking to adapt their businesses. We will also provide the means for you to suggest topics and themes for the show.
Workplace Innovation
Innovation is an imperative like never before. It will be absolutely essential to rebuilding our world post COVID-19.
Since 2013 KMIC's training and learning programs have been geared towards increasing the capacity of the individual and the organization to move beyond their current best practices, in order to create cultures of innovation and excellence. In 2015, we embarked upon a deep research initiative called "Workplace Innovation Canada" or WINCan, along with a number of partners from business and academia to study the Innovation dynamic.
Specifically we asked the question, what mindsets, skills knowledge and experience lead to innovation capability amongst both graduates and employees? As part of this research, we introduced a new model of learning which treats the classroom "as the workplace” where students work alongside their counterparts in business and industry, in real time, to address forward looking, complex challenges like the kind we are now facing, while learning in the classroom.
In 2019, we launched a 6-week online prototype program called "KM and Workplace Innovation" to test the classroom as the workplace model. With generous support from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Bank of Canada, we designed a new kind of online learning and collaborative knowledge building program, where students and professionals from across disciplines work together to advance solutions for ensuring every Canadian has access to affordable housing. We will offer the next iteration of this program at a minimal cost. For more information, please see our website.
In closing KMIC is committed to doing our part during these difficult times and I would like to encourage our past students, partners, members, and associates to join us to help us increase our capacity and reach, by offering to be guest speakers and our webinars and podcasts, by being facilitators or virtual visiting subject matter experts in our online courses. For more information please see the News section of our website and follow us on our company LinkedIn page.
Thank you.
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