5. Invest in talent development, knowledge training, and supports for engineers across the province. Ontario must invest in engineering talent across the province. One of the primary barriers to innovation and growth is the access to a talent pool that possesses the skills needed to adapt to the future economy. Prior to COVID-19, some of Ontario's most strategic sectors, such as infrastructure and transportation were already facing a talent-gap in their engineering departments. Engineering jobs were being given to international firms because Ontario did not have the right talent to get the job done. This is deeply concerning to the economic recovery of the province as the success of the economy depends on the ability to match talent with job vacancies and to ensure that this talent can adapt to market demands. This concern has become magnified by immediate demands for more technologically equipped engineers due to changes caused by the current crisis. The government should create incentives to support a strong culture of lifelong learning across Ontario, where employers and employees are provided with the tools and resources to upskill and retrain local talent. This year, OSPE is launching the Ontario Engineering Academy (OEA) to up-skill/re-skill engineering graduates exclusively to meet industry needs in Ontario. Your support of this initiative by mandating companies be responsible for the upskilling of local employees is critical for engineering graduates to adequately support Ontario's economic recovery. There is an opportunity for the government to incentivize engineering companies to invest in the professional development of their employees, to ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge and know-how to design and execute based on new realities. Investing in engineering talent allows the economy to shift towards more innovative and efficient processes and systems, which in turn creates jobs for other professionals, stimulating job creation and growth.