This country note provides an overview of the governance of the adult skills system in Canada. It is part of an extensive review of all 38 OECD countries. The main findings across all countries are summarised in the OECD policy paper The Role of Subnational Governments in Adult Skills Systems. Representatives from the federal government, provincial governments, and territorial governments in the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC) reviewed the country note in March, which was published in June 2025.
The role of subnational governments in adult skills systems: Canada
Canada has a decentralised governance model for the adult skills system. The Canadian Constitution assigns exclusive legislative authority over education to the provinces and territories, meaning Canada has 13 distinct education systems. They work through CMEC and are responsible for education.
Active Labour Market Policies (ALMPs), Continuing Education and Training (CET), and a portion of Adult Education (AE) are managed and funded primarily by bilateral Labour Market Development Agreements and Workforce Development Agreements between the federal government and the provinces and territories1. The agreements channel funding to the provincial, territorial and regional levels to provide skills development and employment support programmes. While the agreements establish broad guidelines and funding targets, the design, implementation, and delivery are carried out under the authority of provincial and territorial governments.
Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Higher VET (HVET) are delivered by public and private post-secondary institutions (e.g. vocational schools, technical or community colleges and Polytechnics) operating in and overseen by the provinces and territories. Given that provinces and territories have exclusive jurisdiction in education, there is significant variation between system models and funding sources across the country. The provinces and territories implement measures in line with the needs of their respective labour markets.
The Government of Canada separately provides a range of labour market supports delivered by economic departments (e.g., for agriculture, natural resources, or transport, etc.) through industry sector partners. These supports are being further developed or redesigned in response to recent US tariff rises.
Social partners, expert councils, and other stakeholders contribute to the governance of Canada’s adult skills system, e.g. by coordinating the exchange of best practices, harmonising policies, providing apprenticeship training, helping promote career options and educational pathways, facilitating workplace learning, etc.
Legend: ✓ = Yes; - = No
Note: For more information on exact definitions of policy areas and responsibilities, please see (OECD, 2025[1]).
Note: Colour code: Dark blue → government/national/regional and subnational agencies, Green → social partners, Lighter blue → private actors and education providers, Yellow → Expert councils/foundations/associations/research institutions. For more information, see (OECD, 2025[1]).)
Source: OECD compilation based on available information.
At the federal level, the following entities have a role in the adult skills system:
Employment and Social Development Canada is the federal department with responsibility for employment insurance and ALMPs. It is responsible for policy decisions, funding provinces and territories, and delivering several targeted contributions programmes. The most extensive funding envelope is that for the Labour Market Development Agreements (LMDAs). These agreements provide funding to provinces and territories for skills development and employment support programmes, as well as to Indigenous organisations. While the LMDAs primarily focus on unemployed individuals attached to the country’s employment insurance system, the Workforce Development Agreements (WDAs) concentrate on those further removed from the labour market, including Indigenous peoples, youth, women, newcomers to Canada, and persons with disabilities. The department also oversees a broad suite of skills and employment programmes that complement programmes provided by provinces and territories, aiming to address gaps and focus on issues of national interest beyond the LMDAs and WDAs.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada is the government department responsible for managing and facilitating the integration of newcomers into the country. This includes designing and funding AE and CET policies for immigrants (e.g., language courses) and the recognition of foreign qualifications.
The Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM) comprises federal, provincial, and territorial Ministers responsible for labour market policies and programmes. It was established in 1983 as an intergovernmental forum to foster discussion and cooperation among federal, provincial, and territorial governments on pan-Canadian and regional labour market issues. The FLMM is a platform for collaboration and partnership to address shared labour market issues, especially the LMDAs.
Other entities at the federal level include, inter alia, the Colleges and Institutes Canada, which is a network of post-secondary education providers that provides strategic planning and knowledge exchange on VET to policymakers; the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, which conducts research relating to apprenticeship; the Association of Accrediting Agencies of Canada which coordinates bodies responsible for assessing the certification in Vet, HVET, CET, AE; the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship, which supports the development of skilled trades in Canada and manages the Red Seal Program and the Future Skills Centre which provides research.
Legend: ✓ = Yes; - = No
Source: OECD compilation based on (Council of Ministers of Education Canada, 2025[2]) (Government of Canada, 2025[3]; Government of Canada, 2025[4]) (OECD, 2022[5]; OECD, 2022[6]) (Walker, 2022[7]) (UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, 2013[8]) (Red Seal - Sceau Rouge, 2025[9]) (Council of Ministers of Education Canada, 2012[10])
The regional level comprises 10 provinces and 3 territories. It is the provinces and territories which consult primarily with labour market stakeholders in their jurisdictions to set priorities and inform the design and delivery of programmes and services that meet the needs of their local labour markets. Their delivery networks are crucial to the training and employment landscape due to their direct relationships, oversight, and accountability frameworks in relation to educational institutions. While the governance set-up for adult skills policies varies across the provinces and territories, the main categories of stakeholders include:
The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) is a forum founded by education ministers from all provinces and territories, through which provincial and territorial ministers responsible for education collaborate on shared priorities, including the exchange of best practices in VET, HVET, CET, and AE. Since education in Canada falls under the jurisdiction of provinces and territories, the Council serves as a forum for cooperation, policy discussion, and representation at the national and international levels, ensuring that the perspectives and interests of provinces and territories in education are accurately conveyed. The Council coordinates pan-Canadian work at the early learning, elementary, secondary, post-secondary, and adult learning levels. The Council also has a unit dedicated to Indigenous education. Through CMEC, provinces and territories exchange best practices in Indigenous education by fostering collaboration among provinces and territories to support Indigenous learners and integrate Indigenous perspectives into education systems. Additionally, the Council collects and analyses education data and indicators to support evidence-based policymaking across provinces and territories.
Ministries responsible for education and higher education2, which plans, funds, and supervises the research, implementation, and delivery of VET, HVET, CET, and AE. They are responsible for curriculum development, quality assurance, and financing of VET schools. Provinces and territories have considerable autonomy due to the absence of a national Ministry of Education. In Canada, there is no federal ministry or department of education; education is the exclusive responsibility of provincial and territorial governments.
Ministries responsible for labour and employment implement the Labour Market Transfer Agreements and Workforce Development Agreements. Under the bilateral Labour Market Development Agreements and Workforce Development Agreements, Employment and Social Development Canada allocates the funding for employment and training programmes, provides a framework for provincial-territorial implementation and delivery, and, with provinces and territories, collects and reports programme data. Since the devolution of federal training programmes to provinces and territories in the mid-1990s, provinces and territories have developed programme design expertise, built training infrastructure, and established relationships with stakeholders to deliver training aligned with their specific labour market conditions. In addition to programming under the agreements, provinces and territories deliver programming funded from their own resources.
Legend: ✓ = Yes; - = No
Although constitutionally local governments in Canada fall under the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories, the term local government is commonly used for any elected local authorities that are legally empowered to make decisions on behalf of their electors, excluding the federal government, provincial and territorial governments, and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit governments – which have a separate constitutional status. Local governments can include municipalities, school boards, health authorities, etc. The most prominent form of local government is municipal government.
Municipal government's responsibilities vary across provinces and territories. In some areas, municipalities may be responsible, e.g., for education management, funding school boards, or delivering training programmes. In other areas, the responsibility for training delivery is delegated, e.g., to specialised employability organisations or non-profit organisations rather than municipalities.
VET, HVET, CET, and AE are provided by various educational institutions, including VET Schools (e.g., Secondary schools, vocational schools, technical colleges, or community colleges), Indigenous training Institutions, Polytechnics, and universities.
In some areas, the schools are governed by democratically elected school boards that partner with communities and provincial/territorial governments to deliver education and training programmes. In jurisdictions with school boards, some can levy and collect local property taxes, while others provide all school board revenue from the provincial education department.
AE providers include colleges, regional government departments, community centres, private schools, and employers. Another important provider is the Nova Scotia Schools for Adult Learning (NSSAL), which offers tuition-free programmes and services in English and French nationwide.
Legend: ✓ = Yes; - = No
References
[2] Council of Ministers of Education Canada (2025), Webpage, https://www.cmec.ca/299/education-in-canada-an-overview/index.html.
[10] Council of Ministers of Education Canada (2012), Adult Learning and Education, Council of Ministers of Education Canada, https://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/283/GRALE_EN.pdf (accessed on 25 March 2025).
[11] Councils of Ministers of Education Canada (2012), Adult Learning and Education, Councils of Ministers of Education Canada, https://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/283/GRALE_EN.pdf.
[12] European Commission, Eurydice (2023), 8. Adult education and training, https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-education-systems/netherlands/adult-education-and-training.
[3] Government of Canada (2025), Future Skills Centre, Webpage, https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/future-skills/centre.html.
[4] Government of Canada (2025), Webpage, Employment and Social Development Canada, https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development.html.
[1] OECD (2025), “From national to local: Exploring the role of subnational governments in adult skills systems across OECD countries”, OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Papers, No. 2025/XX, OECD Publishing, Paris.
[5] OECD (2022), Assessing Canada’s System of Impact Evaluation of Active Labour Market Policies, Connecting People with Jobs, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/27dfbd5f-en.
[6] OECD (2022), Career Guidance for Adults in Canada, Getting Skills Right, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/0e596882-en.
[9] Red Seal - Sceau Rouge (2025), Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship, https://www.red-seal.ca/eng/about/ccd.1.shtml (accessed on 25 March 2025).
[8] UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (2013), World TVET Database Canada, https://unevoc.unesco.org/wtdb/worldtvetdatabase_can_en.pdf.
[7] Walker, J. (2022), Poor Cousin No More: Lessons for Adult Education in Canada from the Past adn New Zealand. IRPP Insight No. 43., Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy, https://irpp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/IRPP-Insight-Walker-no.-43-FINAL.pdf.
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