Our contribution to society
Closing the digital divide
With 30% of jobs at risk of automation by 2030, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that one of Canada’s most pressing challenges is the growing mismatch between the skills people have and those needed for the digital word.
The societal ramifications of this are profound including job loss, social fracturing, and widening inequality.
Some groups are especially at risk. Women, older workers, and those living in rural areas are given less opportunity to learn new skills, but the biggest barrier is someone’s level of education.
That’s why we’re committing $150 million over the next three years to upskill our 7,850 people to be future ready and to share their knowledge to support clients and communities.
Without urgent attention, many more people risk being left behind and society will become more divided.
People with access to technology and training benefit very quickly, while those that don’t fall further behind. It becomes a vicious cycle.
Everyone should be able to live, learn, work and participate in the digital world
60% of the world’s population remains excluded from the ever-expanding digital economy
Our commitment
We've committed to provide digital upskilling to 1 million people and NGOs across Canada to help them maximize their potential.
We’re well on our way to meeting our three year goal.
Read about our journey to help close the digital divide in our latest corporate responsibility highlights report.
Here’s how we’re reaching our goal of upskilling 1 million Canadians and NPOs:
Matching our people with NPO boards and empowering them to upskill others
Upskilling Board Directors and Management teams has a halo effect. We know there is a critical need for this training based on feedback and research coming out of the not-for-profit sector. The socio-economic impact could be exponential.
Empowering our volunteers to share knowledge
PwC’s open source digital literacy curriculum allows our people to share knowledge in areas like data analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence so people are better positioned to help solve key issues facing society now and in the future.
Solve for society in collaboration with our clients and governments by undertaking large scale pro-bono projects with scalable impact
This will help to ensure people in communities across Canada have access to practical solutions to their challenges and in an environment that helps them learn and develop.
Providing free interactive curriculum to educators
As part of our commitment to close the digital divide, we’re committed to bringing resources to educators and students that may not otherwise have access to them. We’ve collaborated with Code.org to create a technology skills curriculum for students.
The curriculum is composed of easy-to-follow lesson plans accompanied by engaging activities on topics such as cybersecurity, data analytics, web and app development and internet of things. It helps students make connections between technology topics they might be interested in and potential careers in those areas.
Contact us
Chief Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Officer, PwC Canada
Tel: +1 416 815 5224
