Who controls the development of skills in technology districts? The case of the Quebec Region's IT ecosystem

This article analyses the features and dynamics of the skills ecosystem in the Quebec region's IT industry. The skills-based approach allows links to be made between business and employment relationships by going beyond the organisational level and focusing on the connection between private firms and public organisations. Understanding the institutional foundations of industrial dynamics is both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The study examines the major role of government; firstly as a direct public service employer and, secondly, as an indirect employer by function of the tendering structure that involves the private sector. However, the long-term viability of the ecosystem cannot be guaranteed without the recruitment and integration of immigrant workers, the success of which is based on the dynamics of skills distribution and the content of calls for tender between IT firms and the government. The coordination developed by intermediate organisations is thus central for the regional ecosystem within an industry like IT that is experiencing uncertainty and continuous technological evolution.