Leaders in Workforce Development

While employment rates in Canada are generally on the rise, job seekers may still be finding job searching difficult. The struggle is real, but hopefully it helps to know you’re not alone. Geopolitical concerns, supply chain disruptions, high inflation and interest rates, are some common factors that are slowing down the recruitment process, all of which are out of the control of individual job seekers. So, what can job seekers control through the job search process?

While recruitment and retention in eastern Ontario has always been important to the success of a business, since the COVID-19 pandemic employee retention has become a hot button issue. The pandemic provided new perspectives on work for employers and job seekers alike, for example, you’ve likely heard terms like “quiet quitting” or “the Great Resignation” thrown around as job seekers and employees find their footing in the new workforce. But what can employers do to make employees feel excited about work? Keep reading for 3 employee retention solutions:

Workplace inclusion, like DEI (diversity-equity-inclusion) initiatives, are more than just employee retention strategies; they are a basic right for all. If your business does not yet practice intentional inclusion, that’s ok. It’s never too late to get started. Workplace inclusion is more important than ever, both from a human rights and labour perspective, and inclusion benefits everyone: traditionally marginalized communities like newcomers, racialized persons, women, youth, seniors, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ2S+ communities, and everyone else; even the people who don’t feel like they need inclusion.

In 2023, over 471,000 people made Canada their home as permanent immigrants, according to Statistics Canada, but are Canadian employers being inspired and empowered to hire this dynamic and motivated workforce? The Quinte Local Immigration Partnership (Quinte LIP) wants to make sure that local employers are; so they launched the Employer Toolkit to provide employers with hiring help.

Ontario East is filled with skills development programs to help job seekers find sustainable employment while giving local employers access to a reliable and highly-skilled workforce. Right now, job seekers can access apprenticeship programs, co-op programs to learn new skills and get on the job training. Loyalist College’s Elevate Plus program helps Bay of Quinte residents who want to upskill or reskill to enter the local manufacturing or food processing sectors. The Quinte STEP program offers online training in the form of 3 weeks of soft skills training followed by 8 weeks of free training or certification in specialized sectors.

Ontario East is experiencing a time of exciting growth and recovering rapidly from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but despite that, our region continues to experience a labour shortage. Immigration is the key to solving this problem and filling this shortage. You work hard to create a healthy and happy workplace for your team and Ontario East stakeholders are doing the same for the region as a whole by creating strategies to promote immigration to Ontario East. Read on to learn about how you’ll get hiring help from these local immigration strategies.

Buzzwords in the workplace can be polarizing: synergy, paradigm shift, growth hacking. Sometimes it feels like organizations use buzzwords without knowing what they really mean. Then, sometimes there are words that seem like buzzwords but actually change the workplace for the better. We’ve covered one of these on this blog before, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and how it’s not only a benefit to your organization but necessary. Another phrase that might get thrown around a lot but just as necessary as DEI? Work-life balance. A lack of it can lead to burnout resulting in reduced productivity, accidents on the job, and high turnover.

The term burnout gets thrown around a lot but what does it actually mean and more importantly, how does it affect the skilled trades? While job burnout is not an official medical condition, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) recognizes it as a contributing factor to a person’s mental health and well-being at work. Although, it is difficult to pinpoint exact data on the number of people in the workplace, specifically the skilled trades, experiencing burnout (because it is not an official medical condition), if you want to learn how to improve your work-life balance, avoiding and managing burnout is key.

Work placement is an opportunity to get on the job training and experience, hone skills, and build a professional network before you start your professional career. There are many options and benefits of work placement for students in Ontario East, and there are some misconceptions about these programs as well. If you want to learn more about work placements for students and why you should do one, you’re in the right place.