Expert Research Services Education-to-Employment Pathways for English-Speaking Quebecers Building a Best-in-Class OLMCQ Education-to-Work Strategy Framework

• Issue date: February 5, 2026
• Closing date and time: February 23, 2026 by 5:00 p.m.
• Submit to: contracts-contrats@cedec.ca
• Contract period: March 9, 2026 – March 31, 2026

The Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation (CEDEC) is the federally designated economic and labour market development organization dedicated to strengthening the economic vitality and labour market participation of the Official Language Minority Community in Quebec (OLMCQ) through applied research, the creation of public, private and civil society collaborative economic development partnerships, and policy and program development.

CEDEC strengthens the contribution of English speakers and the OLMCQ to the economic development of Quebec, while addressing economic and labour market disparities within the community. Specifically, it generates tangible economic benefits and impacts for English speakers, businesses, social enterprises, and communities, all of which contribute to the vitality of the OLMCQ and the broader Quebec society.

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

CEDEC manages a large and growing body of applied research, policy analysis, program documentation, administrative data, and external evidence related to workforce development, labour market participation, economic development, and Official Language Minority Community vitality. As the scale, interdependence, and strategic importance of this knowledge base have increased, CEDEC requires an integrated, intelligence-driven system that moves beyond document storage toward active knowledge mobilization.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) contains specific details and timelines and should be reviewed carefully prior to submitting a proposal. Every proposal must cover all the service requirements outlined in the RFP. Incomplete or late proposals will not be considered. 

This Request for Proposals is issued as part of CEDEC’s broader effort to refine and implement the OLMCQ Workforce Development Strategy. It will be undertaken in collaboration with the Workforce Development and Labour Market Participation Subnetwork of the OLMCQ Collaborative Economic Development Ecosystem. It is intended to inform and support the ongoing work of OLMCQ workforce developers who educate, train, and support English-speaking Quebecers in their transition from education to meaningful employment and entrepreneurship across Quebec.

This research constitutes Education-to-Employment Pathways – Part 2, building on an earlier Jurisdictional Scan. (See attached PDF – JURISDICTIONAL SCAN PART 1 associated with this RFP). Its purpose is to provide a rigorous, transferable, and publicly defensible evidence base to inform the design and implementation of a best-in-class OLMCQ Education-to-Work Strategy Framework.

STATEMENT OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE NEEDS

The purpose of this RFP is to retain an expert research firm or institution to design, undertake, and complete the applied research described herein by March 31, 2026

Given Quebec’s policy, linguistic, institutional, and labour-market environment, and the lived realities of English-speaking Quebecers, the research will move beyond identifying promising Education-to-Employment Pathways to focus on Education-to-Employment practices that:

• Work reliably in Quebec.
• For English-speakers and the OLMCQ.
• Under optimal conditions.
• At an affordable cost.

STATEMENT OF WORK

The successful proponent will be expected to:

• Validate, expand, and deepen insights on education-to-employment pathways through additional Canadian and international case studies.
• Identify best-in-class practices and clearly document what did not work and why.
• Assess the transferability of these practices to Quebec’s policy, funding, linguistic, and labour-market context.
• Engage educators, workforce developers, employers, learners, and funders through structured design labs.
• Develop a practical, evidence-based OLMCQ Education-to-Employment Strategy Framework.
• Propose stress-tested pilot options and a phased implementation roadmap for Quebec.

SCOPE OF WORK

The scope of work is organized into four integrated and sequential research phases.

PHASE 1- Applied Research and Jurisdictional Case Studies

The proponent will conduct in-depth case studies of five (5) additional Canadian and international jurisdictions with strong education-to-employment systems. Each case study must examine, at a minimum:

• Overall system design and governance arrangements.
• Education-to-employment pathway architecture.
• Employer engagement, co-investment, and incentive models.
• Learner supports, equity mechanisms, and access considerations.
• Use of tools, technology, and data infrastructure.
• Performance outcomes, limitations, and unintended effects.

Data collection may include document review, secondary data analysis, and targeted expert interviews where feasible.

PHASE 2 – Comparative Analysis and Synthesis

Findings across jurisdictions will be synthesized to:

• Identify best-in-class and promising practices.
• Distinguish enabling conditions from context-specific features.
• Identify common barriers, design flaws, and failure points.
• Assess relevance for linguistic minorities, rural regions, and non-traditional learners.
• Produce a shortlist of practices with high potential relevance for Quebec and the OLMCQ.

This phase must clearly articulate why certain practices succeeded or failed.

PHASE 3 – Design Labs on Transferability to Quebec 

The proponent will design, facilitate, and document three (3) Design Labs using human-centred design and systems-mapping methodologies. Design Labs must convene a balanced mix of:

• Educators and training institutions.
• Workforce developers and employment services.
• Employers from relevant sectors and regions.
• Jobseekers and workers in transition.
• Government funders or policy representatives.

Design Labs must explicitly explore:

• Lived experience of education-to-employment transitions.
• Linguistic, regional, and sector-specific constraints and enablers.
• Employer motivations, risks, and sustainability considerations.
• Collaboration barriers across education and workforce systems.
• Learner-centred supports, access challenges, and confidence factors.
• Policy, governance, and data-sharing implications.
• Conditions required for piloting, scaling, and continuous improvement.

PHASE 4 – Strategy Framework and Implementation Roadmap

Insights from the applied research and design labs will be integrated into a practical OLMCQ Education-to-Employment Strategy Framework, including:

• Vision, objectives, and design principles.
• Recommended governance and partnership model.
• Integrated education-to-employment pathway architecture.
• Employer engagement and co-design mechanisms.
• Learner-centred supports and equity considerations.
• Key performance indicators and success thresholds.
• Data tools, feedback loops, and accountability mechanisms.
• A phased implementation roadmap with pilot options and scaling considerations.

REQUIRED DELIVERABLES

The successful proponent will deliver:

Deliverable 1 – Jurisdictional Scan Report

• Five detailed jurisdictional case studies.
• A comparative analysis identifying best-in-class practices.
• Documentation of failed or underperforming approaches.
• A shortlist of practices with high relevance for Quebec and the OLMCQ.

Deliverable 2 – Design Lab Reports and Synthesis

• Three Design Lab summary reports documenting participants, perspectives, assets, barriers, and transferability assessments.
• One cross-lab synthesis report identifying shared priorities, tensions, and design principles.
• Actionable recommendations for pilots, policy alignment, and system design.

Deliverable 3 – OLMCQ Education-to-Employment Strategy Framework

• A comprehensive, evidence-based long-term strategy framework, broken down into short, medium, and longer-term objectives and targets.
• Governance and partnership model.
• Pathway architecture and employer engagement approach.
• Learner supports and equity mechanisms.
• Performance indicators and data strategy.
• Phased implementation roadmap.

All deliverables must be provided in English and include clear documentation of assumptions, limitations, and data gaps.

TIMELINE

All research activities and final deliverables must be completed by March 31, 2026.

Proponents must submit a detailed work plan and timeline demonstrating feasibility within this timeframe.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

CEDEC is seeking proponents with:

• Demonstrated expertise in workforce development and education-to-employment systems.
• Experience conducting comparative and applied policy research.
• Strong facilitation capacity for design labs and stakeholder engagement.
• Familiarity with Quebec’s labour-market and policy environment.
• Experience working with linguistic minority or community-based systems.
• Strong analytical writing and synthesis capabilities.

Applications from academic institutions, research consortia, or multidisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Proposals must include:

• Organizational profile and relevant experience.
• Understanding of the research context and objectives.
• Proposed methodology and analytical approach.
• Detailed work plan and timeline.
• Project team composition, roles, and resumes.
• Examples of comparable research.
• Detailed budget and cost breakdown.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Contextual insights about Quebec and the OLMCQ.
• Demonstrated understanding of research objectives and scope.
• Methodological integration, rigour and coherence.
• Relevance and depth of experience.
• Quality of stakeholder engagement approach, with clear purpose and discipline.
• Feasibility of work plan and timeline.
• Value for money.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Proposals must be submitted electronically to CEDEC by February 23, 2026 by 5:00 p.m.

Late submissions will not be accepted.

CEDEC reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal and to cancel this RFP at its discretion.

As we anticipate a high volume of responses to this Request for Proposals, we are unable to address questions prior to the submission deadline. Additional information and the opportunity to seek clarification will be provided to the firms selected to advance to the next stage of the procurement process.

NEXT STEPS 

CEDEC may retain one or more proposals for consideration and conduct follow-up interviews.

Please put RFP: Expert Research Services Education-to-Employment Pathways for English-Speaking Quebecers Building a Best-in-Class OLMCQ Education-to-Work Strategy Framework in the subject line of all inquiries. 

This Request for Proposals (RFP) has been prepared by the Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation (CEDEC). CEDEC considers the material in this RFP to be proprietary and confidential. The contents of this RFP must be held in confidence by recipients and used only to prepare a proposal for consideration by CEDEC.