The skill of producing skilled workers

Quantity and quality essential in meeting ballooning demand

With worldwide competition to attract and retain skilled labour heating up, the need for collaboration among Alberta business, industry, the public sector and post-secondary institutions has never been greater.

Alberta’s current and future workforce shortages are well documented. According to the provincial government, demand for skilled workers will outpace supply by 2015. By 2021, the province will face a labour shortfall of 114,000 workers.

However, we need both quantity and quality.

Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education says the majority of future labour shortages will be filled by post-secondary graduates.

Unfortunately, Alberta has among the lowest high school completion rates in the country, according to Statistics Canada. Correspondingly, Alberta Human Services recently reported that 40 per cent of Albertans struggle to understand such basic information as news stories and instruction manuals.

Beyond helping learners with diverse educational backgrounds improve their literacy and essential skills and helping them complete or further their studies, the post-secondary sector needs to work with business and industry to ensure our programs are relevant. We must also pursue innovative solutions to address the increased demand for skilled workers.

At NorQuest College, for example, we are collaborating with Alberta Pipe Trades College on the Apprenticeship Preparation Pilot Program, which focuses on attracting, retaining and preparing immigrants and aboriginal adults for the trades.

The program helps students complete their academic training at NorQuest and their onthe-job training at the Alberta Pipe Trades College, leveraging the expertise of the two organizations.

Through the program, the underemployed become more employable and can look forward to better job prospects. This kind of partnership between post-secondary, business and industry must continue to develop.

While the work of post-secondary institutions historically has been student focused, we are increasingly being recognized and engaged for the services and value we offer to employers. We can complement the demand for skilled graduates by helping ensure business operations and practices are efficient.

An example of this developing trend is a new partnership between NorQuest College and the Landmark Group of Builders.

Launched last week, the Landmark Group Centre for Value Improvement at NorQuest College combines the applied, practical and proven improvement strategies of both organizations.

Working together, the centre will deliver the training, tools and methods that empower Alberta businesses to increase efficiency, productivity and profitability. By working smarter, we can help meet the demand for more workers.

The importance of collaboration in addressing our workforce challenges was also reflected during a recent mission to Ottawa where business, industry and post-secondary leaders joined to help represent the Edmonton region’s interests.

Organized by Edmonton Economic Development Corp. and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, the mission sought to increase greater Edmonton’s national profile, highlight our successes and detail our challenges. The mission provided the federal government an important first-hand perspective on our region’s vital contributions to the national economy.

This collaborative approach highlights how NorQuest College and Alberta’s post-secondary community can work with business, industry and the public sector.

The need for collaboration cannot be overstated. We must recognize and embrace partnership opportunities to ensure employers are utilizing post-secondary’s applied research, hands-on experience and wealth of knowledge. To effectively meet Alberta’s workforce needs, it is imperative the programs and services offered by institutions like NorQuest College reflect the needs of business, industry and the public sector.

This means graduating workforce-relevant students who hit the ground running and fill immediate job vacancies. These kinds of partnerships are essential to Alberta’s competitiveness and future prosperity.