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CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - MAY 2013
A
S YOU TRAVEL
around Cana-
da and talk to employers, you
start assembling the picture of a coun-
try with large needs but a disconnect-
ed workforce.
You see employers located in high
unemployment regions that are unable
to find properly- trained employees.
This is particularly evident in resource-
based sectors, information technology
businesses, health care fields and many
others.
You will also see a lot of well-ed-
ucated young people who are under-
employed and with little prospect of
being able to get the jobs that are avail-
able now. They require specific train-
ing.
This is partially the result of a
system that for decades put the em-
phasis on the “top” position while ig-
noring the many skilled jobs that form
the foundation of any successful enter-
prise.
How many engineers will be out
of work if the projects in which they
are involved are not able to find any
properly-trained plumbers and pipe-
fitters, etc.?
How many hospitals will cease
functioning properly if there are not
enough trained nurses and personal
support workers?
How many IT companies will
need to relocate if they cannot find the
locally trained workforce and experts
needed sustain and grow their busi-
nesses?
I remember co-chairing a forum
with a senior government official a
few years ago on how the government
could attract the best and brightest of
IT professionals of the next generation.
There was a real fear that it was not
going to work and that there would
not be enough trained people to hire
soon.
A step in the right direction?
The government has realized that
there was a problem, and the Minister
of Human Resources and Skills Devel-
opment Canada (HRSDC), the Hon-
ourable Diane Finley, P.C., M.P., has
made it a clear priority.
The 2013 Budget included the
creation of the Canada Job Grant. This
is an enormous step in the right di-
rection. It will allow businesses, the
provincial government and the federal
government to come together and pro-
vide much-needed training for Cana-
da’s labour force.
While the details are still to come,
it was important for us to note that the
government realized the need and pro-
vided a solution. Businesses will now
be part of the solution and will be able
to have a say in the type of training to
be provided.
Career colleges were selected by
various government representatives
to announce the program (Minister of
State Alice Wong in British Columbia,
Minister Steven Blaney in Ottawa and
Parliamentary Secretary Kellie Leitch
in Newfoundland and Labrador).
That’s not a surprise. Career col-
leges have partnered with businesses
to provide skills to new employees for
over 150 years.
Partnerships between employers and
career colleges already exist
There are many examples throughout
our country:
•
A Fortune 500 company (Fortinet),
in the IT sector, opened an office in
Ottawa and quickly realized that it
needed to recruit new employees,
but could not find people with the
right training. They partnered with
a career college (Willis College –
opened in 1896) and developed a
training program that fit their needs
(
and provided students the skills for
future employment as well). The
result? Fortinet’s Ottawa presence
continues to grow and will continue
to do so in the future.
•
Academy Canada worked with Hol-
son Forest Products, the Voicey’s
Bay Nickel Company and others to
provide specialized skilled trades
training to unemployed workers
in order to help them gain employ-
ment in these companies.
•
Discovery Community College in
British Columbia has partnered with
employers to help them train the
right workforce. This was done in
the health and the trades sector.
Serge Buy - CEO, National Association of Career Colleges
NACC
