Canadian companies lag in skills training
At auto body repair shop Kirmac Collision, Peter Vajda realized the need to remain competitive by making sure all of his workers had the best training available to boost productivity and keep up with the latest advances in technology.
Vajda and his team implemented a “leadership development program” for all of his newly hired employees, as well as existing managers. The program focuses on leadership, ethics and “needs-based selling practices,” using a range of educational tools, such as case studies and course tools.
It “allows us to nurture people who can deliver in an industry that is heavily customer service-based,” Vajda says. “We believe that training and learning is an ongoing process and we place a huge priority in equipping our team with everything they need to succeed.”
It appears Kirmac may be the exception. Research shows Canadian companies lag far behind other countries when it comes to the amount of money they invest in their employees through skills training.
Canadian employers slipped to 20th place in terms of the priority employers place on employee skills training in a recent ranking. Less than 30 per cent of adult workers aged 25-64 received job-related education and training in Canada, compared with 45 per cent in the U.S., according to data from Industry Canada and Statistics Canada.
Canada sits behind the U.S., U.K., Norway, Germany and other European countries in overall job training. As a percentage of overall pay, U.S. firms spend about 50 per cent more on training than Canadian companies.
“The reoccurring problem that employers and employees are facing is that there is a gap in the workplace in terms of expectations,” says Sandra Miles, president of Miles Employment Group in Vancouver.
“Companies are looking to hire employees with a certain level of skill and knowledge. However most companies are not injecting the time or money into onthe-job training,” she adds.
As employers firm up hiring plans for 2012, HR experts say businesses need to re-evaluate their training programs or whether they even have one in place, particularly for new staff. It’s a key part of the recruitment process, yet often overlooked by managers.
The process of “onboarding” new workers sets the tone for the employee-employer relationship — a critical time when both parties are forming potentially lasting notions about each other.
It should be communicated clearly upfront what types and levels of future training the new hire can expect.
Jason Anderson started a small welding shop in Calgary five years ago and has built up enough staff to warrant the expense.
With only 15 employees, he still finds it worthwhile to make that ongoing invest- ment. “We’re just a small shop, but in this industry, like many industries, the pace of change moves fast,” Anderson says. “To be competitive, we need to hire — and keep — the best guys we can find, and that requires ongoing learning and development.”
Courses can be done inhouse or employees sent out to a training company or institution to get what they need, but most good plans usually use both to make it become part of the organization’s culture.
It’s also important for managers to get the ongoing learning support they need to be effective at holding the team together, Miles says.
No longer can employers expect to hire every candidate with the ideal skills needed to be effective — they should expect to train new hires and tailor that learning to the unique tasks and work environment within the company.
As long as the employee has the basic credentials needed to get started, they can “grow into the role” and are likely to be more loyal as a result of that investment in their skill set, Miles adds.