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LOOKING FORWARD: THE CHRC RESPONSE
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As outlined in Chapter 2, the process of developing an HR strategy for
the cultural sector has been a highly consultative one over three years.
The HR landscape of the Canadian cultural sector in 2003, with its
challenges and opportunities in a complex and evolving demographic,
policy, technological and global context, has been mapped, and a path
has been drawn. As described in Chapter 7 and validated by delegates
of CHRC’s National HR Forum, Strategy 21, three macro HR issues will
be the priorities over the coming decade: management, self-employment
and career-long learning. Chapter 8 outlines how CHRC is translating
these HR strategic directions into an effective multifaceted action plan
that embraces all segments of the cultural sector.
The seamless progress from recent and current CHRC activities,
through the HR strategy development process, to future
directions, testifies to both the accuracy of the research on
cultural HR challenges and to CHRC’s ability to respond to
and lead on the issues.
8.1 MANAGEMENT
IMMEDIATE ACTIVITIES
The warning bells on management challenges in the cultural
sector have been sounding for over two years. They came
under sharp scrutiny at a Roundtable in March 2001 which
identified recruitment and retention of cultural managers as an
urgent issue, and have since been the subject of the Creative
Management project, a multi-year initiative funded by the
Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation. CHRC has
been a partner in this activity since its
inception, undertaking a national compensation
survey of arts managers in the
visual, literary and performing arts; commissioning
the research for and writing of
HR tools and best practices for cultural
managers; and calling for a special focus
on cultural management in the criteria of
the internship programs it administers.
Work continues. In the short term,
CHRC will:
• deliver a series of workshops in
major urban centers across the
country to promote HR management
practices and the use of the
HR tools; and will ensure easy
BUILDING ON SUCCESS — A HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR THE CULTURAL SECTOR — 2004 35