Program links immigrants with trades

Employers in trades across Canada are feeling the labour crunch at a time when an aging population and increased demand are forcing them to look beyond traditional talent pools.

Skilled immigrants are squarely in their sights as they look for solutions to the shortage. Newcomers to Canada are often highly skilled, but many face several obstacles to integrating into the workforce.

The Power of Trades training program at the YMCA- YWCA in Ottawa aims to change that for the mutual benefit of labour- hungry employers and immigrants seeking good jobs.

Program participants come from many countries and have developed a wide array of skills. There are power machinists from Congo, an electrician from Switzerland working in building automation and controls, a Brazilian cook who just landed a job as a carpenter and a Persian carpet darner from Iran who is now a glass technician.

Making the switch to a new career in the trades “gives them an opportunity to ... go through an apprenticeship program and earn money while they’re being trained,” says Madison Watson, program coordinator for Power of Trades, which only operates in Ottawa at this time. “The labour market prospects for good wages, self- employment and growth within the industry were all really attractive to these professionals.”

One new immigrant who enrolled in Power of Trades, launched in July 2011, had experience in microelectronics manufacturing but was having difficulty making the transition into one of the trades in high demand.

“That is a dying industry in Ottawa, so we helped her to figure out what her existing skill set was, what the trades were in Ottawa that were in demand and how she could best fit into the labour market,” Watson says.

The program includes six weeks of classroom training and a two- week co- op job placement. Participants get a basic orientation to the trades, job search and career planning support, and help upgrading their education.