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Invest Talent / Employers / Medtech Hub

Invest Talent MedTech Hub

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​An Employer-led Workforce Accelerator for a Strategic Growth Sector

The Invest Talent Medtech Hub applies Invest Talent’s employer-led model to strengthen workforce readiness in the Metro Vancouver region’s rapidly growing medical technology and life sciences sectors​.

sLed by Invest Vancouver, the hub brings employers together to collectively validate workforce demand, clarify job-readiness expectations, and inform scalable talent solutions aligned with real production and operating environments.

Rather than relying on isolated training programs or one-off hiring efforts, the Medtech Hub coordinates employers, education and training providers, workforce intermediaries, and community organizations around shared signals, shared learning, and shared outcomes.

The benefit of an employer-led h​ub​

The Metro Vancouver region’s life sciences sector has grown 27 per cent in GDP since 2019, making it the fastest-growing life sciences sector in Canada and outpacing overall BC economic growth. Today, the sector employs 28,500+ workers across British Columbia, with a significant concentration in the Metro Vancouver region.

Over the next five years, the sector is projected to face a talent supply gap of approximately 5,500 workers by 2027 – more than tenfold increase from the current gap of roughly 500 workers. Employers increasingly cite workforce availability and job readiness as constraints on growth, production ramp-up, and investment decisions.

The Medtech Hub responds by placing employers at the centre of talent system design – moving beyond isolated training programs toward coordinated, demand-driven solutions.​​

The six-step model

1
Identify priority sectors and roles using labour market and economic data
​ 2
Aggregate employer demand to validate scale, timing, and readiness
3
Signal clear, shared skills needs to training and workforce partners
​
4
Co-design applied, role-specific pathways with employers and partners
5
Deliver targeted pilots or ecosystem interventions
6
Measure, learn, and scale what works across sectors and regions​

Through structured, time-limited engagement, employers:

  • check icon Validate shared workforce demand
  • check icon Clarify skills, competencies, and job-readiness expectations
  • check icon Inform where alignment or intervention is most needed
  • check icon Contribute to solutions that can scale beyond a single organization

Invest Talent coordinates engagement, sequencing, partner alignment, and learning capture – reducing burden on individual employers while strengthening system performance.

Proof of concept: medtech Invest Talent pilot

The Medtech Hub builds on a 2025 employer-led pilot, supported by the Future Skills Centre, that tested Invest Vancouver’s regional talent accelerator model in response to urgent workforce gaps.

​Pilot outcomes included

295

total registrations received

124

participants admitted to Medtech training

114

participants completed a short, applied training workshop

22

participants attend a train the trainer session

136

total trainees, representing 113% of the project target

95%

overall participant satisfaction

95%

rated training as relevant

94%

rated content as useful

​

These results demonstrate strong alignment between employer-defined demand and participant readiness and experience.

Inclusive talent outcomes

Inclusion was embedded by design.

  • 87% of admitted participants identified as coming from equity-deserving groups, primarily immigrants – exceeding the project’s 50% equity participation target.

The pilot demonstrated that short-cycle, employer-led approaches can expand access to quality jobs while maintaining rigorous industry standards.

Economic impact and scale readiness

Based on employer demand and projected hiring needs, the Medtech pilot is estimated to positively impact at least 80 jobs over three years, translating into approximately $14.4 million in economic impact.

In addition, the pilot validated repeatable collaboration mechanisms, including employer interviews, Skills Needs Forums, co-design committees, and train-the-trainer models, that can now be reused across additional medtech initiatives and other priority sectors.

Invest Vancouver’s role

Invest Vancouver leads the Medtech Hub as a neutral convener and system coordinator, connecting workforce development directly to regional economic development and investment priorities.

Through this role, Invest Vancouver:

  • check icon Aggregates employer demand across the sector
  • check icon Translates business needs into clear ecosystem signals
  • check icon Reduces duplication and coordination costs
  • check icon Aligns workforce initiatives with long-term regional growth objectives

This enables employers to shape talent systems without assuming delivery or administrative burden.

Value for employers

Participation in the Medtech Hub supports employers by:

  • check icon Improving alignment between training and real job requirements
  • check icon Increasing access to job-ready talent
  • check icon Reducing hiring and onboarding risk
  • check icon Strengthening confidence in regional talent pipelines
  • check icon Contributing to shared learning that improves system performance over time

Impact is assessed through practical business outcomes and system-level learning, not program activity alone.

​

Employers interested in shaping scalable, demand-driven workforce solutions in the medical technology sector are invited to participate in upcoming Skills Needs Forums and co-design activities.

​

Participation is strategic and time-limited. Employers are not expected to design curriculum, deliver training, or manage programs.​

Ready to connect?​​​

Contact ​Inve​st Vancouver ​to​​​​​ join ​the next medtech industry roundtable​ or discuss how we can support your talent needs.​​

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​​Express your interest

​​Join the ​Medtech​ Roundtable​

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Looking to grow your team?​​​​​

​Post a job​​

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Invest Vancouver acknowledges that the region’s residents live, work, and learn on the shared territories of many Indigenous Peoples, including 10 local First Nations: q̓ic̓əy̓(Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), máthxwi (Matsqui), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), Semiahmoo, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), scəw̓aθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh).

Invest Vancouver respects the diverse and distinct histories, languages, and cultures of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit.

View Metro Vancouver's translated territorial acknowledgment

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