The Productivity Project: Graduates vs Job Market

Dr. David J. Finch will speak on his recent piece for The Conversation, and the extensive research behind it, about how Canada is producing more graduates than ever before but entry-level employment for them is also harder to come by. The research into this topic is part of the work of The Productivity Project, which is a collaboration among the Alberta Centre for Labour Market Research, the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, Mount Royal University, the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, Canada’s Productivity Initiative, and the LearningCITY Collective. Together, this partnership brings cross-sector expertise to address a single question: How can human capital drive Canada’s productivity?

Dr. David J. Finch is an educator, scholar, and practitioner specializing in labour market dynamics and adaptive learning systems. He holds a Ph.D. in Management and a Doctor of Design. Dr. Finch is Professor of Innovation and Marketing at Mount Royal University and a Visiting Fellow at Henley Business School, University of Reading (UK). He has also taught at the University of Calgary, Ohio University, and the University of Guelph. His research explores regional economic development and adaptive learning systems. He leads The Productivity Project, an interdisciplinary research initiative exploring the intersection of productivity and human capital. Dr. Finch has published over 50 scholarly articles in journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics,  Academy of Management Learning & Education and Higher Education. He has served on Alberta’s Minister’s Council for Higher Education and Skills and was seconded to Calgary Economic Development. Before academia, he spent 20 years in corporate strategy with Bell, Rogers, Harris Corporation, and the T1 Agency.