Wellington County is working on a number of strategies to connect employers with a skilled work force.
On Nov. 9 Tom Lusis, with the Wellington County economic development department, spoke to Puslinch councillors regarding economic development programs designed to help employers in the county.
He explained part of his work includes the Talent Attraction Initiative (TIA).
Lusis explained the goal of this particular initiative is to help meet the labour market needs in Wellington County and support strategic economic growth.
He said in Wellington County there are employers seeking skilled candidates, helping employers think a little bit outside of the box.
Lusis said the three core areas of activity – to connect job seekers and employers:
– post-secondary partnerships;
– global talent recruitment; and
– immigration programs and intercultural supports.
Post-Secondary Partnerships
“We work with the University of Guelph and also Conestoga College.
“Often you hear there is a perception that students go to these institutions and when they are finished they leave to seek out the bright lights and the big city.
“That is true, but when we speak to the departments and our coutnerparts there, they say there are a number of students who want to stay in Wellington County.
“Perhaps they have come from more rural communities and want to stay in rural community.”
Alternatively, there are examples like Lusis who was born and raised in Toronto, went to the University of Guelph for his studies and research and the quality of life resonated with him.
He noted that after university his own family moved to Guelph.
Lusis said many students are looking for opportunities to remain in the area after finishing their studies – but don’t know about them because their experience is limited to the campus.
“What we are trying to do is work with the university of Guelph and Conestoga College to raise awareness of employment opportunities in Wellington County.”
Part of the role is also providing the soft skills training to help students be more employable.
We often hear that students have potential, but there are sometimes challenges hiring the younger co-hort.
“While universities and colleges have career and co-op services, sometimes there can be conflicts of interest between what employer expectations are and what students are ready to hear.
We see it as our role to represent employers and tell students about those expectations.
“We can tell it as it is rather than simply telling students what they want to hear.”
Lusis said it is one thing to connect students with employers and another to give them the skills to succeed once they are there.
“From my perspective, retention is a big issue,” he said.
It’s inefficient to hire someone – when they have different expectations and don’t fully realize what is required of them – so they only last a certain amount of time.
Then everyone has to go through the same process again.
Another aspect of this work is connecting employers with University of Guelph and Conestoga College resources and programs, Lusis said.
The institutions’ mandate are to help students get work after their education, and often there are many resources on campus that prospective employers are not aware of.
An example, he said, is that the University of Guelph has a job board where employers can post positions for free.
In addition, there are job fairs, career and co-ops programs.
In this area, Lusis spoke of an initiative underway in Puslinch intended to connect students to local transportation companies.
Students can talk to employers about what it is like to work in the transportation industry and can hear precisely what the nature of the business is like, what the workload is like.
“We really encourage empoyers to frankly tell students what it is like.”
That is followed by site visits to some of the companies to learn what the workplace is like.
In turn, those visits would be followed by a debrief at Conestoga College.
Lusis then spoke of Global Talent Recruitment
He said if one looks at the research, immigrants and newcomers are typically an overlooked resource for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Lusis also spoke of tales that most newcomers only head to the larger and big cities.
“While that may be true,” Lusis added “Many are looking for places outside this city. We also partner with Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington to promote working in Wellington County.”
Part of his role is decribing what work is like and try to connect them with employers or resources.
“We are able to give them a feel of what it is like to work here.”
Lusis also attends Bewcomer Career Fairs in Toronto in April and October to promote Wellington County as an alternative to the gateway cities.
He said it is a chance to showcase Wellington County and its businesses.
Lusis noted his qualifications include being an immigration consultant.
“I can work with employers to lead them the process.”
He said an important aspect included retention.
Sometimes this intercultural training to support worker recruitment and retention.
He pointed out the culture of work can vary greatly across the globe.
“We can give employers a heads up that things may be different. The same goes for employees – to let them know work culture in Canada differs.”
Councillor Ken Roth this seemed a postive step to help the employment situation in Wellington County.
“It seems a lot of people do gravitate to the big centres and do not know what they are missing.”
Roth asked if it was really difficult for employers to attract skilled labour.
Lusis said it depends on where the business is located and what type of business it is. “Generally speaking, you will always see opportunities to connect people.”
In some ways, Lusis saw retention as the larger issue.
He said there “is sometimes a disconnect between graduates and the realities of workplace.”
Councillor Matthew Bulmer appreciated hearing about the connections with the educational institutions.
Councillor Susan Fielding also saw the benefit of the programs being offered.
She said there are a lot of young people looking for work, but unsure of how to make contact with employers.
Mayor Dennis Lever added the county puts a lot of effort to the Work and Live in Wellington initiative.
