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Passport to ProsperityUpdate: Spring 2005
This publication is also available as an Adobe Acrobat file. (PDF, 259 KB) Minister Chambers Issues Call to Action to EmployersThe Provincial Partnership Council (PPC) and the Honourable Mary Anne Chambers, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, have issued a call to action challenging Ontario's employers to help solve the skills shortage by offering high school students work experience, as part of the Passport to Prosperity campaign. The PPC is comprised of key leaders from private, public and voluntary sectors, working together in the effort to get more employers on board. “I commend those employers who are already providing school-to-work experience – it is an investment in education and the workforce of tomorrow, but we need many more employers. I challenge all Ontario employers to get involved,” says Chambers. “In the years ahead, Ontario faces a severe shortage of skilled workers,” says Len Crispino, President and CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, a Passport to Prosperity partner. “This will have a drastic impact on our economy and our standard of living. It is essential that as employers, we engage young people in real-life work experiences when they are making critical decisions about what they will do in the future.” Will Galante, Branch Maintenance Manager, Ryder – Logistics and Transportation Solutions, sees the value of this first hand. He has trained and hired two Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) students and is currently training a third. Outstanding Employers Recognized for Training StudentsThere are thousands of employers in Ontario doing their part to train the workforce of tomorrow. Of these employers, some have demonstrated long-standing commitment to providing school-work opportunities to high school students across the province. In Fall 2004 the Provincial Partnership Council called for nominations from local communities for the Passport to Prosperity Employer Champion Awards. Five outstanding employers were selected for the award and five additional employers received merit awards. These employers were recognized at the Passport to Prosperity forum on April 26th. Employer Champions: Amazing Canadian Art Centre, Mississauga Bruce Power, Bruce County Les Suites Hotel, Ottawa Rector Machine Works Ltd, Sault Ste. Marie Shelley Machine and Marine, Sarnia Merit Award Winners:Aramark Canada – Food Services, Mississauga Employers Value Independence and IngenuityWillie Nimijohn and Steve Parsons work in different professions, but they both value employees who are hardworking, responsible and independent. Both employers have been taking co-op students for years because they enjoy teaching them new skills. Mr. Nimijohn owns a large farm in Ancaster. He wants all of his sons to do well for themselves and enjoy what they do. When his youngest son James asked to do his co-op placement on the farm, he was ecstatic. And when James chose welding for his next co-op, Mr. Nimijohn was just as happy because farming is a tough industry and it's best to be prepared. Arriving on the farm mid-afternoon James needs to decide what chores to tackle. As Mr. Nimijohn says, “The rest of us would be 30 miles away so James would have to figure out what to do – there would be no one to ask, and James really came through.” Because of his co-op experience, Mr. Nimijohn now trusts James to handle the work of a lead hand – a position that some of the previous co-op students have advanced to as well. As much as he enjoys farming, James also loves welding. He was exposed to the trade on the farm for many years, but really took a liking to it in a high school manufacturing class. James is now in his second co-op placement at Parson's Welding. Mr. Parsons has taught James welding, cutting and prep work. He says, “When we bring in students we don't expect them to know what we know, but we do expect them to have an open mind and a good attitude.” Mr. Parsons thinks that James has both and that these traits are essential. “Welding is a field where you can read all the text books in the world but you have to do it to be good at it.” James says that he wants to be a welder, but he still likes farming and wants to contribute to the family business. Mr. Nimijohn's farm is so big that they have their own welding shop onsite, so combining the two careers is a definite possibility. Mr. Parsons jokes that he is “training the competition,” but he says he still enjoys teaching James and will continue to take on more co-op students. “Many of the skilled trades are being overlooked. We will really need people to do the work.” Delta Toronto Airport West Hotel: Capitalizing on Co-op as a Recruitment ToolIts always hard to find good people, but after attending the Passport to Prosperity forum in the fall, we have really started to change our approach to taking high school co-op students, says Karen Dobbie, HR Generalist at the Delta Toronto Airport West Hotel. The hotel has been taking co-op students for more than five years. Now we work closely with the teachers to make sure we are offering a work project that complements the students curriculum more directly. By rotating through all the departments, the students get an idea of the big picture and they can start to figure out which areas they enjoy. The students usually work at the front desk, in human resources, accounting, housekeeping and the kitchen. To other employers who might be skeptical about taking on a student, Ms. Dobbie advises, You get to decide who you will take on. We interview all our co-op students beforehand. Also, now that we have a close relationship with the teachers, they tend to send us the more motivated students. Getting Creative: Business Owner Brings Assembly Work to the ClassroomTom Feeney didnt have the space in his shop to bring in another co-op student but wanted to provide a schoolwork opportunity so he brought the placement to the students. Mr. Feeney owns Feeney Hardware Ltd., an industrial hardware company located in Torontos North York region. Every Tuesday, he visits Maplewood High School a school for students with special needs for a few hours, to simulate the assembly environment at his store. Seven years ago, Mr. Feeney thought co-op students were from college or university only. He said, A college person wouldnt come for a warehouse job. I didnt think we had anything to offer. Now one of Mr. Feeneys full-time employees is a former Maplewood student, who has been working for him for three years. When Mr. Feeney witnessed first-hand how much work placements could change high school students, he wanted to get even more involved. When Debra Malandrino, a co-op supervisor at Maplewood, called and asked him to consider taking one of her special needs students this year, he really wanted to help. They chatted about an alternative to a student coming into his shop, since he didnt have the space. Every week, Mr. Feeney brings assembly work to the classroom at Maplewood. He prepares detailed instructions that students can easily follow by placing the parts on the pictures he has drawn on sheets of paper. Because many of the students have trouble counting, Mr. Feeney also brings boxes with just enough slots to fit the completed parts. The students know they are finished when the box is full. Mr. Feeney is quick to say students have a really positive effect on his staff. He says, My staff look forward to having a student. It helps them develop their leadership skills. When asked why he does what he does, Tom refers to the confidence that the students get from the experience: A lot of them get excited about performing; they want to tell you what theyve done. When you realize how confident theyve become wow, what a difference. Ms. Malandrino has noticed that the teachers have all been pleasantly surprised by the effect of Mr. Feeneys Tuesday visits: Even their own classroom teachers have said that they could never have imagined the students being able to do what they are doing on the job. There is a big change in the students they are more empowered; they have grown. Ms. Malandrino says that these school-work opportunities have taken the students above and beyond what many of their teachers and even parents thought they were capable of: Who would have thought? They dont just get an experience, they get jobs. For many of the Maplewood students, the idea of working full-time had never even occurred to them. These school-work experiences give them the training and confidence to believe in themselves and their future. Mr. Feeney has something to say to hesitant employers: I highly recommend getting involved in providing school-work opportunities because it will benefit your staff and it really does benefit the kids. All you have to do is get creative. It gives me a good feeling. Its worth it.
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