Mohawk College

August 2017
Message from the President & CEO

Audie McCarthy
In the spring,  Tim Mohr , MCE's Business Development Officer for the GTA, and I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by the City of Mississauga's Economic Development Office in conjunction with Mayor Bonnie Crombie. The event, Building Skilled Talent Together, brought together 90 stakeholders including: local government, Mississauga-based advanced manufacturing businesses, and educators from colleges, school boards and private training organizations.  

After a half-day together, the Economic Development Office published a report summarizing the top talent attraction and retention issues as well as a list of recommendations. Building Skilled Talent Together



As an organization that provides training services to manufacturers, it was invaluable to hear firsthand the challenges, and the commonalities of those challenges, amongst all manufacturers in the room.

This is not a new story. I recall, as early as 2002, sitting around the boardroom table at Workforce Planning Hamilton (then called Hamilton Training Advisory Board) and discussing these same issues. As part of a team of local leaders, our goal was to put our collective thoughts together to initiate planning for the future skills shortage. Our project was called HR Matters.

So why has it taken so long to catch on? Is it because it is human nature to be reactive and not proactive? Is it because organizations were not feeling the impact of the skills shortage until recently? Do human resources professionals have the resources to initiate workforce planning? If they do, can their organizations afford to train in preparation? What is the education sector's responsibility in teaching the "right" skills? Has the need changed?

"The need for highly-skilled and specialized technical labour to develop, operate and maintain these advanced machines and processes is now more pronounced..."

- Bonnie Crombie, Mayor, City of Mississauga

According to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) report, Talent in Transition, Addressing the Skills Mismatch in Ontario,   " the number of seniors aged 65 and over is projected to more than double from 2.2 million or 16 percent of the population in 2015, to over 4.5 million or 25.3 percent of the population by 2041.The aging population will significantly impact labour participation in Ontario, which has been chronically falling since 2007."[1]

It is not just a shortfall in skilled trades. There is a deficit in soft skills as well. This was identified in both the Mississauga and Ontario Chamber reports. The Mississauga report identifies a number of soft skill requirements: problem-solving, initiative/self-motivation, critical thinking and written communication skills. The Chamber report states "employers also emphasize that competencies such as communication, emotional intelligence, creativity, design, interpersonal skills, entrepreneurship, technological skills and organizational awareness are key indicators to the success of job candidates and employees. The deficit of these skills is often cited by employers as an obstacle in the recruitment process."[2]

Both organizations intend to continue to work with government, educational institutions and industries to ensure these problems get resolved and that industries have the skilled workforce they need to succeed.

[1] Ontario Ministry of Finance. Ontario Population Projections Update, 2015 - 2041. http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/economy/demographics/projections/.
[2] 7 Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Generation Innovation: The Talent Canada Needs for the New Economy.  http://www.occ.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Talent-in-Transition.pdf.  P. 17

 
Audie McCarthy
President & CEO
 
 
P.S. Keep reading for Tips on Preparing for the Skills Shortage


MCE  Announcements  and  Events

New Videos
 
Career in Welding Have you ever considered a future in welding? Whether it is a hobby or a career, MCE can help prepare you for the future. Click here to learn more about our Welder Operator Certificate program.

Future Ready Program

Congratulations to all graduates of our recently completed Future Ready Leadership program. This cohort had participants from the Town of Gravenhurst, District of Muskoka, Town of Bracebridge and County of Simcoe. Click here  to watch a video on their FRL journey.

In Print
  
Audie McCarthy was quoted in the article, Brand You by Paul Copcutt, in the recent Biz Magazine. Audie said: 

"I believe personal branding is critical to career development and management, especially in this day and age where people tend not to stay in jobs or even in the same industry for as long as in the past. Your reputation, personal values, and demonstrated character are differentiators and will place you ahead of the pack when combined with your work experience, accomplishments and education.' 

To read the article in its entirety, visit Paul's blog.

Open Seat Future Ready Leadership Program

Registration is now open for our Open Seat Future Ready Leadership program! Once a year, MCE offers individual and/or small groups spots within a combined FRL cohort. The program will run from September 2017 to April 2018. Register today - spaces are limited and you won't want to miss out!

The program consists of eight leadership training courses delivered one day per month, over eight months. This program is developed for emerging and existing leaders by providing theory with practical application and experiential teambuilding. Throughout the program, participants will learn and develop different leadership competencies.

The eight courses are:

1. Power of Teams
2. Embracing Diversity through Impact Communications
3. Leadership Dynamics
4. Managing Performance
5. Coaching Conversations and Learning from Leaders (Leadership Panel)
6. Facilitating Change
7. You Asked For It! (custom designed for the participants)
8. Planning Your Leadership Success
 


Course
Date & Location 
For more information contact:

The Future Ready Leadership (FRL) 1 program consists of eight customized leadership training courses delivered one day per month, over eight months. This program is developed for emerging and existing leaders by providing theory with practical application and experiential team building.
Dates:
Day 1 - September 13
Day 2 - October 11
Day 3 - November 8
Day 4 - December 13
Day 5 - January 10
Day 6 - February 14
Day 7 - March 21
Day 8 - April 11
 
Location: Mohawk College, 
Stoney Creek Campus

REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!
Kris Michailow
905 517 1676


Students who successfully complete this program will receive three point five (3.5) Ministry of the Environment, Director-Approved, Continuing Education Units.
Prepare to write the American Water Works Association (OWWA) "Cross Connection Control Specialist" certification exam (administered at the end of the course).
Dates: Please Contact

Location: Mohawk College, 
Stoney Creek Campus

Note: If you have 16 employees who require Cross Connection Backflow Prevention Certification training, we will come to you!


Lorraine MacDonald
905 575 2534

A two day course to recertify you as a "Backflow/Cross Connection Control Tester".
Dates: Please Contact

Location: Mohawk College, 
Stoney Creek Campus

Note: If you have 16 employees who require Cross Connection Backflow Prevention Recertification training,
 we will come to you
Lorraine MacDonald
905 575 2534
Earn CWB welding tickets in this "hands on" program. Starts every Monday and runs for 24 weeks.    


Contact us for details!
Lorraine MacDonald
905 575 2534

 
Skills Training
TIPS on Preparing for the Skills Shortage

 
1.  Create a skills inventory .   Include the skills of your current employees, the skills required by each position in the organization and skills required for future positions. Identify the gaps.

 
2 . 
Develop a workforce plan.  
Calculate your attrition. Who is eligible to retire? Who may take a leave of absence?  Who might leave voluntarily? Forecast how many employees you will need in each position for the next few years. Identify the gaps. 

 
3 .  Develop mentorship programs . Partner senior employees with junior employees so they can start to share their "tribal" knowledge (i.e. the knowledge that is in their heads and not documented as a process or in a standard operating procedures book).  

 
4.  Develop positive employee relationship programs . Retaining your employees is the most cost effective way of managing the skills gap. What are you doing to keep them engaged and earn their loyalty?

 
5. Partner with other organizations for training . Find similar organizations to join and share your training costs with. At MCE, we offer "shared cohort" programs where three or four organizations will each send a few employees to learn together. Your organization benefits from a cost perspective and your employees benefit by sharing experiences. 

For more information on any of the above, please contact Carrie Deon, MCE's Human Resources Generalist, at [email protected].