Top Talent with Next-gen Skills
Barrie's talent is youthful and bold. They are innovative and entrepreneurial – and they're ready to connect with your business today. The City works with regional partners to encourage young people to enter technology-related fields and skilled trades. This ensures our companies have the expertise they need to succeed today and in the future.
The Talent Brochure
Do you want to let potential employees know why Barrie is the right place for them?
Loyal Workforce
People who live and work in Barrie are loyal to their community. They value the unique quality of life in Barrie and want to stay put.
Tap Into Barrie’s Creative, Entrepreneurial Workforce
When you locate or grow your organization in a place where people want to live, your business becomes more appealing to the high-quality employees you want to attract. Plus, Barrie’s growth in specific sectors has created a large local pool of highly skilled, specialized workers.
Did you know? The City of Barrie won an Excellence in Economic Development Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in the Talent Development & Retention category for two sector-specific job fairs hosted in 2024.
Barrie Workforce Field of Study (2021 Census)
Talent Pool Development
Post-secondary Institutions
Companies in Barrie are connected to graduates of Georgian College, which grants diplomas and offers degrees in partnership with nearby Lakehead University. This skilled workforce can drive business results and give you an edge in today's market.
There are an additional five universities and five colleges within a one-hour drive of Barrie.
Georgian College
Barrie is home to the largest of Georgian’s campuses with 10,200 full-time students.
The Alectra Centre for Research, Innovation and Commercialization is equipped with the latest technology and partners with local industry to provide next-gen skills to students and advanced research & development.
Georgian is the first and only Changemaker College for embedding social innovation and changemaking into the culture, programming and operations (designated by Ashoka U).
The department of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship is the hub for research, development and innovation at Georgian and includes:
- Research and Innovation
- Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation
- Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre
Georgian is a recognized leader in student work experience, with 6,300 employer partners. Students gain workplace experience with the added benefit of building a foundation with local employers who are eager to hire.
88.1% Georgian graduates find employment within six months of graduation.
Lakehead University
Lakehead University is the top ranked university in North America under 9,000 students in the Times Higher Education 2023 Impact Rankings.
The university is one of Canada's top undergraduate research universities with 116 industry and not-for-profit partners around the world.
Lakehead's Orillia campus is 35 kilometres from Barrie and offers more than 18 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and is actively expanding College-University program pathways with Georgian College.
97.7% of Lakehead graduates find employment within two years of graduation with 91% having jobs relating to their field of study.
