Labrador - Aboriginal Human Resource Council

More documents

Recommendations

Info

• Voisey’s Bay representative mentioned that people need to keep their resume up-to-date. Skills training in this area may be needed so that information on potential employees is quickly available. The employer needs to know what specific pieces of equipment the employee can operate, how many hours have been logged on it, etc. • The Voisey’s Bay project started people in the unskilled workforce. There are good levels of employment but feel that many of the employees were doing cleaning, etc. It takes time to be a good employee, whatever the job may be. • To bid for a job you need to have a skilled labour force available. And to be competitive, you need to have an Aboriginal skilled workforce. At Voisey’s Bay there is a requirement for 33 per cent of the workforce to be skilled Aboriginals in order to meet federal guidelines for Aboriginal businesses. If you can’t train people on the job, how are you to develop this workforce • There is a lack of coordination among agencies. For example, more than one group is offering prospecting training. • Recruitment and retention issues: training is meaningful employment and will increase retention. Young people want more than labour jobs. Voisey’s Bay takes employees to the job site to see how they function in that setting before candidates are chosen. The lifestyle challenges of working on such a job site can be hard on families. Example: an Australian lecturer spoke of a mining project where families were flown in and included in job site activities to decrease tension in families caused by the absence of a parent. • AHRDA funding should be available all year long. AHRDAs could train people in winter but sometimes there is no money left for training until spring, when work begins. • There is too much red tape. Service Canada needs to be more flexible. • The question was asked as to whether there was one point of contact for all Labrador AHRDAs; in fact they are all separate. The AHRDAs could help significantly with training in the off-season. • The two-weeks in/two-weeks out model is good for families on the coast because they need to hunt wild meat and cut wood as a part of their traditional life, and because food and fuel are so expensive on the coast. This model is also good because people are simply unwilling to leave for such long periods of time. Companies must adjust to the lifestyle situation. Some people are accustomed to seasonal work and find it hard to adjust to working all year. • Wage subsidy programs work for some people. • New employees are not as productive; employers need to expect them to take time. Job training funding would be good in these situations because companies would not lose out when inexperienced employees are less productive. • Lack of communication, coordination and attention between all organizations. • Need to have up-to-date and very specific information, especially on database. • Need to be able to train on the job as part of the contract. • Need company profiles (there is a lack of awareness in Aboriginal communities). • Need more effort to recruit. • Geography (Labrador) travel budget is limited. • Balance for skilled workforce vs. representation from Aboriginal group. 13
• Provide financial planning at the “personal level”. • Consult with appropriate community members. • Release employees for training at the right time. • Some Aboriginal clients are on income support (security). • Should be a common database of potential employees/jobs. • There is a shortage of housing. • Need childcare. • Work takes people away from personal homes/lifestyles. • Many Aboriginal people are used to seasonal work. Full-time employment, while desirable, involves a lifestyle change. • Are people with disabilities being represented • Need money to put to action. • AHRDAs do not have a full understanding of the work for them to be effective recruitment partners. • An entrant testing is a barrier because they are not passing the tests. • Competency Assessment Test (CAT) is a tool that is desirable and in some cases is being used. • Need to recognize prior learning. • If a barrier is identified, clients are sent to adult basic education (ABE). • There is a test to get into ABE – many are not successful in passing this test. • Adults in ABE have family responsibilities too long to complete ABE • ABE is eating a large percentage of AHRDA budget vs. skills development and targeted wages. • Full-time adult literacy educator hired at Voisey’s Bay. • Looking to deliver ABE on-site in Voisey’s Bay. • Short-term skill training being provided (i.e., math - used for stair framing). • Don’t focus all efforts on construction work as it is nomadic. • Take advantage of long-term jobs. • Retention - keep employees in the organization. • Provide incentives as part of compensation – 24 per cent of wages additional bonus. • Employment opportunities: – mining/processing: running camp (electricians, plumbers) – marine transportation sector has many employment opportunities both regional and worldwide - deckhand (entry level), ship officers, deck officers, and engineering officers; o o o deckhand training 80 per cent employment for successful participants four months in the classroom/ three-months on the job Grade 7 requirement. • Easier to recruit at entry level (labourer position). • Employers want flexibility/multi-skills. • Employers pay for knowledge – progression plan. • Employers promote from within. 14
Page 1 and 2: Workforce Connex Labrador Workforce
Page 3 and 4: • Wendy Poole, Labour Métis Nati
Page 5 and 6: Message CEO/President Aboriginal Hu
Page 7 and 8: Part 2: Panel: A panel of private s
Page 9 and 10: • Business needs labour market in
Page 11 and 12: Minaskut Limited partnership repres
Page 13 and 14: • Provide shop classes for high s
Page 15: Participants were separated into gr
Page 19 and 20: • Treat everyone the same, hears
Page 21 and 22: • Create ways to overcome geograp
Page 23 and 24: FORUM AGENDA Workforce Connex Labra
Page 25 and 26: PARTICIPANT ORGANIZATION LOCATION 2
Page 27 and 28: 58. Taplin, Catherine Iron Ore Comp
Page 29 and 30: • Open dialogue and action items
Page 31 and 32: Glossary Of Terms ACRONYM DEFINITIO

Labrador - Aboriginal Human Resource Council

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?