By Bahar Jafarian
Special to Ontario Construction News
The province of Ontario is experiencing a labour shortage in some of the most prominent sectors of its economy, including technology, manufacturing as well as the construction sectors. Filling empty positions in different trades sectors is becoming extremely challenging; with fewer youth and newcomers considering working in the trades, and an expected increase in retirements in the coming decade, it is becoming apparent that bridging the skills gap is contingent on promoting the skilled trades to under-represented groups such as immigrants. Access to the trades must be a key component of the broader strategies’ province-wide, seeking to redress these skill shortages and also part of a broader program addressing the barriers to labour market integration facing newcomers.
The YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region has been delivering trades training programs for over a decade; through programs that focus on home renovation, sustainable and energy efficient construction, as well as programs such as Built by Her and Power of Trades that aim to increase diversity within various trades sectors. One such program, is the Green Building – incumbent worker training program, which provides opportunities for current workers in the industry to upgrade their skills in almost every area required by the employers. This program provides financial and logistical supports to employers who are looking to upskill or train their current employees in order to better meet the labour market demands.
As we all know, a trade is a satisfying career path with considerable earning potential and excellent long-term prospects. With the sector experiencing a labour shortage, we need to be promoting the skilled trades as viable career options for newcomers, interested individuals, and anyone seeking employment. The Y’s Ontario Newcomer Trades Action Program (ONTAP) team connects with communities across the province through free workshops, seminars, events and training sessions. The sessions cover what every interested individual should know to start a career in skilled trades; information that would ultimately help them to make an informed decision about their career.
The ultimate aim of the ONTAP project is to help increase newcomers participation in the trades by engaging three priority groups: employers, immigrants, and service providers across the province, with a focus on building knowledge and the capacity of the sector and around new and existing service delivery models, the project will provide further pre-employment and career exploration training for immigrants looking to transition into careers in the trades in Ontario and will connect skilled newcomers with employers in the sector.
Additionally, in order to increase the participation of newcomers in the trades, ONTAP tries to equip interested newcomers with relevant labour market information and expose them to skilled trades by providing training on soft skills and qualifications which will increase employment opportunities in the Canadian labour market, which will be a critical component of the post-Covid economic recovery strategy for the province.
As part of this project, ONTAP also works to engage, educate, and increase the capacity of trades’ employers to effectively integrate newcomers into their workforce. ONTAP actively helps employers to attract, train and retain newcomers in their workplaces by providing information on trade equivalency assessment processes for employees and by working directly with newcomers to help them transition into careers in the skilled trades in Ontario. We also support employers in onboarding talented newcomers by providing training on human resources practices with a focus on cross-cultural competency and apprenticeship competency training interventions. Furthermore, ONTAP provides beneficial information on incentives and grants available to qualified employers and employees.
Contact ONTAP and register for one of our upcoming information sessions, which are offered in person or virtually across the province at no cost. We want continue to support employers and newcomers as we find a path forward for the skilled trades in Ontario. Contact us for more information: ontap@ymcaywca.ca.
Bahar Jafarian is an Outreach Worker with the Ontario Newcomer Trades Action Program.