New Ontario Chamber of Commerce report urges action to improve alignment of skills, education, career opportunities
Greater Sudbury, July 4, 2017 – Businesses in Greater Sudbury and across Ontario are finding it more and more challenging to recruit qualified staff, according to a new report issued by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce.
The report, Talent in Transition: Addressing the Skills Mismatch in Ontario, indicates that 82 percent of Ontario businesses that sought to hire staff in 2016 experienced a challenge in finding someone with the proper qualifications. The report also identifies ten recommendations that will better align the skills acquired by Ontarians with those required by employers.
The report, which was developed in partnership with leading officials in the private and educational sectors, as well as with representatives from across Ontario, includes exclusive, new research on skills development sourced from Ontario Chamber Network members as well as the general population.
“Finding qualified employees continues to be one of the top issues facing Greater Sudbury’s business community,” said Tracy Nutt, Chair of the Board, Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. “We need to align government, employers and educators to find a solution to the skills mismatch so that we can strengthen our economy and ensure there is meaningful employment available in our community.”
It is not just employers who are concerned with the growing skills mismatch. Of the general population, half of Ontarians are concerned their skills and expertise will no longer be useful or will become less valuable in the next decade.
The chamber’s report outlines a strategy that unites government and industry to work collaboratively to ensure that all regions across Ontario have access to the skilled workforce required to compete in the global economy. In working together on the recommendations presented in this report, Government and industry can:
● Improve the transition from school to the workplace (through the expansion of experiential learning opportunities).
● Improve the labour market outcomes (achieved through Employment Ontario programs).
● Develop a modernized apprenticeship system (reflective of the current business climate and focused on the integration of young people into the trades).
“Ontario employers are finding it more and more challenging to recruit properly qualified talent. If improvements are not made, we will find ourselves in a situation where there are people without jobs and jobs without people,” said Richard Koroscil, interim-President and CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “Our latest report identifies opportunities to improve alignment of skills, education, and career opportunities.”
Read the full report here.
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For more information, please contact:
Bryan Heystee
Policy and Communications Manager
Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce
705-673-7133 ext. 224
705-677-5735 (cell)
[email protected]
www.sudburychamber.ca
The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization that represents 1,000 businesses and through the participation of its member volunteers on committees and task forces, it works ‘as the Voice of Business’ to influence federal, provincial and local legislation affecting business.