Real Jobs, Real Money.
That was the title of a promotional piece and seminar hosted by the Nova Scotia Homes Builders' Association. The purpose was to let young people know there are numerous good jobs for people who want to work in residential construction.
The Labour Market Indicator statistics for Manitoba recently forecast a pending shortfall of 12,400 workers in construction within the next six years. The combination of growth in the industry and retirements will mean we will encounter employment needs like never before.
Personally, I think the shortages are already here, never mind six years from now. After all, just look at what is happening throughout Manitoba.
New housing starts in 2010 were their highest in the past 23 years.
Current and future Manitoba Hydro projects indicate tremendous opportunity. The airport terminal rebuild, the new Bombers stadium, the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, CentrePort, Ikea, roads, bridges and other large projects are happening right now.
The Our Winnipeg report calls for a population increase of 180,000 during the next 25 years. The infrastructure work to accommodate that growth will be huge.
The Manitoba Construction Sector Council is an agency that is addressing the needs of the industry in a positive manner. It is committed to the welfare of the construction industry and ensuring that the current and future workforce is professionally trained and prepared to tackle the needs of the industry.
During this past year, representatives of the MCSC visited more than a dozen high schools and spoke about careers in construction. On May 11, more than 1,300 students and 150 teachers descended upon the Red River Exhibition grounds to attend the Construction Career Expo and learned in a hands-on manner about various trades, skills and job opportunities.
The Pre-Employment Construction Training Program has been operating for three years and is designed to recruit and train individuals for general and specific skills that would enable them to start work immediately. Their advanced skill set and safety training would automatically place them a cut above most. Four more sessions are already scheduled for the coming year.
Building Supervisors for Tomorrow has proven to be one of the more popular courses for existing employees, preparing them for long-term supervisory roles within their respective companies.
The Manitoba Construction Sector Council is preparing tomorrow's employees today.
Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association.
