Bachelor of Commerce (Digital Marketing) - Postsecondary ...

Today, London is a site of choice for subsidiaries of American manufacturers, notably in food and
beverage, automotive parts, aircraft and locomotive assembly. The city remains home to many industry
sector leaders, such as 3M, McCormick Canada, Kellogg's, Trojan Technologies, TSC Stores, and Starlim
North America. Known for its strength in banking and insurance (London Life and Libro Financial
continue to base their Canadian headquarters in London) London’s economy has recently diversified
into additional knowledge‐based sectors such as health research and post‐secondary education.
Over the past few years, the city’s manufacturing sector has grown and diversified, with a focus on
military, aerospace, medical devices, and automotive parts and production, as well as food processing.
New business growth is being pursued in “creative economy” jobs in life sciences, technology and digital
media. In addition, London’s position at the junction of three major provincial expressways and the
closest Ontario city to all three major US border crossings (Detroit, Buffalo, and Port Huron), have
contributed to plans to position the region as Canada’s gateway to international trade, by creating a
regional transportation logistics hub for moving freight internationally by rail, highway, and air. 9
The aging workforce is creating labour market challenges across all regions of Southwestern Ontario.
The Elgin, Middlesex, Oxford Local Training Board reports that the aging of the workforce will have a
particular impact in trades, transport & equipment operators, and management professions (where at
least half the workforce was 45 or older in 2006), as well as business, finance & administration, primary
industry, and health, where more than two out of five workers are at least 45 years of age 10 . Oxford
expects almost one in five workers involved in the health care and non‐profit sectors (social science,
education, government service & religion) to retire in 2011 11 , and higher than average retirements
projected for business, finance & administration; trades, transport & equipment operators; and
management occupations. In Elgin, the lack of senior level technical and managerial positions has been
identified as key challenges in workforce development 12 .
Shortages of business management skills, particularly for small and medium‐sized businesses, were also
highlighted in the Ontario government’s 2008 report Manufacturing in Ontario: Innovating for the
Future and the 2007 Conference Board of Canada report on Ontario’s Looming Labour Shortage
Challenges, in their call for strengthening managerial capability across all sectors.
This brief background overview provides a broader context to the findings of this report with regard to
the demand for business degrees and the opportunities for business graduates in the labour market in
Southwestern Ontario. There is clear indication of an increasing appetite for higher level credentials
among students entering college, and that for a significant proportion of these students, this is their
9 LEDC, 2009. Advantage London : London Economic Summit : Creating the Action Plan for the Next Economy.
London Economic Development Corporation.
10 Elgin, Middlesex, Oxford Local Training Board (EMOLTB). March 2009. Trends, Opportunities, Priorities Report.
www.localboard.on.ca/localboard/english/newsPubs/tops/TOP%202009‐web%20version.pdf
11 Oxford County. n.d. Workforce Plan.
www.localboard.on.ca/localboard/english/newsPubs/EMO%20Publications/Oxford%20Rural%20Plan%20PDF%20f
or%20the%20WEB.pdf
12 County of Elgin. July 2008. Marketing and Branding Strategy Final Report.
LKSB Degree Program Feasibility Study • 2011
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