With the expansion plans of the Prince Rupert Port Authority, the modernization of Rio Tinto Alcan, the development of LNG export and the electrification of Highway 37, Industry Training Authority CEO Kevin Evans says more needs to be done to ensure the skilled workers need for those projects are available
I was reading elsewhere today that Canada had it’s worst job loss in several years. Must be talking about back east, eh?
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[quote=“DHCollins”]I was reading elsewhere today that Canada had it’s worst job loss in several years. Must be talking about back east, eh?
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The unemployment rate here is probably around the 17 per cent or more mark if you factor in all the discouraged and abandoned job seekers, so its not just the east that suffers. May improve here with all the talk of port expansion and such, but right now it’s nothing to write home about.
Planning was needed years ago,
now business is screaming crisis, when for years they would not start an apprentice but preferred instead to “Poach” the required tradespeople from other industres.
There should be a legislated ratio of apprentices to tradespeople on a go forward basis, for all industries, employing tradepersons.
The average age of Gov. certified tradepeople is 48 with a large percentage nearing retirement age.
It takes years for a tradesperson to become competent at their trade, industry and gov. is looking for the fast tracked “Quick fix”.
The "Quick fix does not exist,all the “quick fix” will do is expose some trainees to dangerous situations that the trainees have no skills to recognize.
Now industry is expecting the Gov to pull their fat out of the fire,
If industry and gov. started training yesterday morning, they might get a jump on their future need,but I predict there will be meetings and the bureaucrats will issue statements and the Gov. will get it wrong like they always do.
If anyone is interested, here is my quickie evaluation of the situation:
Whenever there’s a “boom” in Prince Rupert, skilled labourers are in high demand. There are ships that need unloading, conveyors that need service, rail cars that need maintenance, roads that need paving. There’s a huge demand for people that can get that shit done yesterday.
Unfortunately, those skilled people that can do those jobs don’t happen overnight. Unless you are going to follow the Albertan “Well, we can hire them out of Newfoundland for four weeks on, two weeks off” model*, you need a steady influx of fresh apprentices into the trades.
I see small businesses in Prince Rupert routinely having their tradespeople poached by the larger industrial corporations.
If someone has numbers to the contrary, numbers that indicate that the Ridley Island operations, or the Prince Rupert Port operations are really bringing local youths into the trades, rather than just shifting jobs around, I would be happy to be proven wrong. But anecdotally, I just don’t see it.
- I love the people of Newfoundland and am profoundly saddened at having to use them as an example in this argument.
I love the North Coast, it is my home, but, I do worry as my teenager gets closer to entering the work force. I think it is likely that she may need to leave town for work.
[quote=“Eso”]If anyone is interested, here is my quickie evaluation of the situation:
Whenever there’s a “boom” in Prince Rupert, skilled labourers are in high demand. There are ships that need unloading, conveyors that need service, rail cars that need maintenance, roads that need paving. There’s a huge demand for people that can get that shit done yesterday.
Unfortunately, those skilled people that can do those jobs don’t happen overnight. Unless you are going to follow the Albertan “Well, we can hire them out of Newfoundland for four weeks on, two weeks off” model*, you need a steady influx of fresh apprentices into the trades.
I see small businesses in Prince Rupert routinely having their tradespeople poached by the larger industrial corporations.
If someone has numbers to the contrary, numbers that indicate that the Ridley Island operations, or the Prince Rupert Port operations are really bringing local youths into the trades, rather than just shifting jobs around, I would be happy to be proven wrong. But anecdotally, I just don’t see it.
- I love the people of Newfoundland and am profoundly saddened at having to use them as an example in this argument.[/quote]
I think the days of the west poaching Newfies could be having a much more difficult time in the near future. That massive ship building contract given to Nova Scotia will create many of the types of jobs that have not been available on the east coast for some time. I cant speak for them but I am guessing hopping down to NS and staying in the maritimes has more appeal than heading off to northern alberta or places like prince rupert.
I doubt many Newfies are wildly in love with Alberta and there is going to be a huge vacuum if 1/4 of them leave for work in NS.
[quote=“Eso”]
- I love the people of Newfoundland and am profoundly saddened at having to use them as an example in this argument.[/quote]
Don’t worry ‘bout it. Native Newfoundlanders are a tough ole bunch. Livin’ on a rock will do that to ya.