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CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - APRIL 2014
Y
OU CAN’ T HAVE
a serious
discussion about Canada’s
economy these days without someone
raising the issue of “skills”, usually
coupled with one of the following
words:
Gap
Mismatch
Shortage
Crisis
In short, despite a persistent un-
employment rate of about 7% (higher
in some regions, and even higher still
among young and new Canadians),
employers are having trouble filling
jobs in certain growing fields. This
gap between the jobs that are available
and the skills unemployed Canadians
have has the potential to significantly
impact our economy and will only get
worse as more baby boomers are set to
retire.
A 2013 study by the Conference
Board of Canada found that Ontario
alone is missing out on $24 billion in
economic activity every year due to
the skills mismatch between employ-
ers and workers. The Government
of Canada, the Canadian Chamber of
Commerce, the Canadian Council of
Chief Executives and the Canadian
Federation of Independent Business
all agree that the disconnect between
what workers have to offer and what
employers need does not bode well for
our future growth.
To help address this issue, the
2013
federal budget introduced the
Canada Job Grant, which brings to-
gether employers along with both
federal and provincial governments to
get Canadians the skills they need for
jobs that exist. By requiring employers
to invest in training and have a direct
role in skills education, this program
has the potential to bridge the gap
between workers’ skills and employ-
ers’ demands. With a long history of
working closely with employers to
develop curricula and provide work-
ready skills, career colleges are particu-
larly well positioned to get Canadians
the skills they need.
With all the talk of skills gaps and
labour shortages, one factor seems to
have largely es-
caped the conver-
sation: the role of
new Canadians.
Many Ca-
nadians know of
someone who has
faced this scenario
or have themselves
faced the challenge
of immigrating to
Canada only to
find out they won’t
be able to continue
working in their chosen profession in
this country. We’ve all heard stories
of new Canadians with years of train-
ing and experience in very demanding
fields who cannot get their skills and
credentials recognized once they arrive
here.
This is problematic for a number
of reasons. For one, many of these im-
migrants were actively recruited and
told that their skills and training are in
demand in Canada, and if they uproot
their families and leave the world they
know behind they will succeed here
because Canada needs their experience
and their expertise.
Unfortunately, once they arrive,
they are told they can’t actually prac-
tise in the field for which they have
such a passion and drive. Instead we
have doctors driving cabs and lawyers
scrubbing dishes, yet employers are
still unable to get the skilled workers
they need.
New Cana-
dians face a num-
ber of barriers to
working in their
field once they
come to this coun-
try. Some profes-
sions are regu-
lated and have
difficulty assess-
ing the credentials
and education of
individuals from
outside North America. Other sectors
have regulations and standards that
may be very different than what an
individual was taught and practiced in
their home country.
In most cases, new Canadians are
told that if they want to keep practic-
ing in their field, they will have to start
from scratch and go back to school to
re-learn everything they know just to
get credentials from a Canadian insti-
tution. For many new Canadians who
were in the middle of their careers and
have families to support, taking a few
years out and spending thousands of
dollars to go to university is simply
not an option.
But does that mean they should
give up and resign themselves to a
subsistence job, doing menial work?
We believe there is another way.
With that in mind, on February
7
th, NACC announced the launch of
its Alternative Career Pathways initia-
tive. With support from the Govern-
ment of Canada, NACC is working to
help our country harness the skills and
passion of its newest residents so that
they can put their experience to use
and help us bridge our skills gap.
As Minister Jason Kenney said
when announcing the government of
Canada’s support for the initiative,
utilizing the skills and energy of new-
comers will be crucial to our economic
development.
NACC
