Recruitment

New program from BuildForce Canada creates opportunities for entry-level workers and employers

By Pat Rediger

BuildForce Canada has announced a new program called Construction Career Pathways (CCP) to create more opportunities for both individuals wishing to enter the construction industry and for employers looking for entry-level workers.

“We put together a program to encourage employers to take a chance on people who have never worked in the industry. Once they get in the door, we hope that most employees will stay with their employers. This would help supplement the overall labour force,” said Bill Ferreira, executive director of BuildForce Canada.

CCP launched in April of this year and has a one-year funding commitment from the federal government. Both employers and employees can access the program on the CCP website (ccp-pcc.ca).

Ferreira says the program consists of 16-week, entry-level, paid work placements on construction sites across the country. No prior industry experience is necessary for workers, and employers can access funding to offset the onboarding these employees require.

The program targets small and medium-sized businesses (fewer than 500 employees) with a total wage subsidy of up to $2,400 per employee at the end of their work placement. There are placements available for up to 1,000 workers with half of the program intake allocated to individuals from populations that are underrepresented in the construction industry such as women; members of Black, Indigenous and racialized communities; people with disabilities; newcomers; those who identify as LGBTQ2+ and young people wanting to get work experience.

“There are benefits for both the employers and the employees,” said Ferreira. “The benefits to the company are that they get access to individuals who are keen to work in the construction industry and for workers, they get their first opportunity to work in the industry. The funding itself is designed to help offset some of the costs that the employer would face. The benefits for the individual are not only the immediate employment, but also hopefully a career that they wish to pursue in the construction industry.”

He says the program addresses two key areas that typically concern both sides: the cost of training a new employee and the lack of first-job opportunities. The program is intended to bridge that gap so the employer has a financial incentive to take a risk on a new employee.

BuildForce Canada is a national, industry-led organization that represents all sectors of Canada’s construction industry. Its mandate is to support the labour market development needs of the construction and maintenance industry. It works with key industry stakeholders, including contractors, proponents of construction, labour providers, governments and training providers to identify both demand and supply trends that will impact labour force capacity in the sector, and supports the career searches of job seekers wanting to work in the industry.

How to register

Both the employer and employee must register on the CCP site to participate in the program and answer a few basic questions. Companies provide a description of the position that they are looking to fill and individuals looking for work complete an online profile. BuildForce has partnered with Magnet, a company started by Toronto Metropolitan University, to assist with the matches.

The employer is still responsible for interviewing the employee and completing the hiring process. Once a job seeker reaches an agreement with the employer, the individual is then encouraged to take BuildForce’s online construction safety awareness course to assist with the onboarding process. At the end of the work term, BuildForce will provide the funding to the company.

Ferreira says that the program is really for entry-level positions in the construction industry and is not for Red Seal positions. Employers in heavy civil construction, residential construction and other construction sectors that don’t hire Red Seal trades now have access to a new program that addresses their specific needs. The program does not overlap with the Canadian Apprenticeship Service, although a new employee may consider entering the apprenticeship program after completing their 16-week program.

The program is a key ingredient of addressing the labour shortage the construction industry is currently experiencing, which is only expected to increase in the coming years, Ferreira said. There are estimates that one in every five construction workers are expected to retire within the next seven years, leaving a huge gap in the labour market. This issue, combined with increasing demand for new housing and infrastructure projects, will con­tinue to put pressure on the industry to complete projects in a timely and cost-effective manner. 

The British Columbia Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association will use heavy equipment simulators and virtual reality to showcase highway maintenance careers

By Jill Harris

Construction has an image problem – and it’s putting the industry’s future productivity at risk.

An industry perceived as tough, physically demanding, technologically inept and “old school” in its management practices can’t attract the talent it needs to perform in today’s modern marketplace. This perception of construction – which often doesn’t reflect the reality of working in the industry – is creating a barrier when it comes to attracting newcomers to pursue construction careers. As more and more current workers retire in the next five, 10 or 15 years, it’s critical that new workers come on board.

This skills gap is not something that construction companies can solve on their own – collaboration and a widespread effort from industry groups is key. 

An innovative recruitment program in B.C.

The British Columbia Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association (BCRB&HCA) understands the industry’s need to attract new workers and that opening new eyes to the possibilities in construction will require strategies designed for modern society.

“We were in conversations with provincial representatives at the end of last year, and there was potential grant funding available for creative talent outreach programs,” said Matt Pitcairn, vice president of BCRB&HCA. “We submitted an application for a technology-based program to expose people to the opportunities in our industry and hopefully pique their interest [in construction careers].”

Pitcairn says that construction isn’t immune to the generational shift that all industries inevitably experience, and the future workforce needs help to realize the opportunities waiting for them.

“Construction is embracing technology more and more,” said Pitcairn. “It’s not this ‘old-school’ industry but many people still have this perception.”

Combatting this perception is critical, and BCRB&HCA has a plan.

The association received a $3.9-million grant to help jobseekers across B.C. learn more about highway maintenance occupations. The three-year grant will provide funding to BCRB&HCA’s talent attraction program, which involves leveraging innovative training technologies to showcase key jobs in the industry. 

BCRB&HCA is using simulators that will place prospective jobseekers in the driver’s seat of snow plows and other types of heavy equipment, with the goal that people will realize the multitude of engaging, well-paying and fulfilling jobs they can have in construction, often right out of high school.

The “roadshow” will include a 34-foot customized trailer with five different simulators that replicate different models of heavy equipment and attachments.

“In addition to that, we have a number of virtual reality headsets and will set up stations outside the trailer,” said Pitcairn. 

The simulators will travel across B.C. to provide hands-on opportunities for participants, setting up at immigrant settlement services, veterans organizations, high schools and more, inviting as many people as they can to try operating heavy equipment on the simulators. 

“Our plan is to criss-cross the province and go to as many communities as we can, promoting weeks in advance [of] setting up shop,” said Pitcairn. “The industry has jobs in Cranbrook, Prince George, Quesnel, Langley – you name it. We want to put construction careers front and centre for [groups currently underrepresented in the industry]. There are opportunities all over B.C.”

BCRB&HCA saw the success that similar programs achieved and wanted to replicate and expand on the idea to suit heavy construction applications.

“We heard of other jurisdictions doing this very successfully,” he said. “Our partners in Prince Edward Island were using virtual reality technology to go into high schools and promote job opportunities, and similarly in Ontario. But nothing was touching on the snow plow or heavy equipment side. We took best practices from here and there and tried to put them together into one program.”

BCRB&HCA has ordered the trailer and the equipment to arrive this fall, with the aim of getting on the road in 2024.

“We’re going to cover as many kilometres as we can,” said Pitcairn. “We’re going to identify regions of the province and figure out when we’re going to be there, [likely in various] tours – a Vancouver Island tour, a northern tour, etc. We’ll talk with as many stakeholders as possible to map out the tour and stop in as many communities as possible.”

Pitcairn says that the program will have a robust social media strategy along with proactive outreach to local media and companies to make sure that everyone knows they’re coming to town and gets excited to jump in one of the program’s simulators.

BCRB&HCA will also invite its members on the program’s tours, encouraging them to be part of each event.

“We’ll be looking for volunteers and experienced snow plow and equipment operators to join us at the various stops along the way,” said Pitcairn.

The association’s plan is to put an online portal in place to facilitate future employment relationships. When people participate in the program, if they like their experience on the simulators, they can access the portal to see job opportunities in their neighbourhood.

BCRB&HCA will track participant data along the way, analyzing metrics of how many people participated in the program and, of those people, how many successfully began construction work.

“We’re going to do our best to attract successful engagement that leads to employment within the industry,” said Pitcairn.  

Made in Canada

When the British Columbia Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association (BCRB&HCA) was researching simulator technology for its industry talent acquisition program, the ability to support Canadian companies became an added bonus. 

“I had no idea before I started this journey that some of the leading global technology in the [simulator] space comes from Canada,” said Matt Pitcairn, vice president of BCRB&HCA. 

As it turns out, Montreal is a global hub in simulator technology, something that Pitcairn was happy to learn.

“I thought it was really neat
that we could use our grant dollars to give back and keep those dollars here in Canada,” said Pitcairn.

The snow plow simulator that BCRB&HCA purchased is coming from Virage Simulation in Montreal.

“From our research, they’re the number one company in the world for snow plow simulators,” said Pitcairn.

The other heavy equipment simulators that BCRB&HCA purchased are also coming from Montreal, from a company called CM Labs, which counts organizations like NASA and Liebherr among its current customers.