Last week, this column focused on the skilled labour shortage in the construction industry and how the newly formed Manitoba Construction Sector Council was conducting workshops to address this problem.
There's never one easy solution to a problem of this magnitude, but the MCSC is pulling out all the stops to try to resolve it.
The Manitoba Construction Sector Council (www.mbcsc.com) is comprised of five partners: The Construction Association of Rural Manitoba, the Manitoba Building and Construction Trades Council, the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association, the Manitoba Home Builders' Association and the Winnipeg Construction Association.
The MCSC operates within the Alliance of Manitoba Sector Councils and its officers are John Schubert (Chair), Gord Lee (Vice-Chair) and Dave Martin (Secretary-Treasurer). Taras Luchak is the Executive Director.
The mandate of MCSC is to assist Manitoba's construction sector by consulting industry stakeholders and offering solutions to their current and future human resource needs. The council's primary goal is to upgrade skills throughout the industry.
Efforts will also be made to enhance the image of the industry and the benefits of working in the construction sector, with emphasis on attracting individuals from nontraditional groups. These are indeed lofty targets but critical to the welfare of the industry.
Three construction training projects have already been approved by the MCSC board of directors and are moving ahead at different paces. They are the Pre-Employment Construction Training Program, the On the Job Mentorship Program and the Supervisor Development Program.
The first one that they hope to commence is the Pre-Employment Construction Training Program, as early as next January. This program is aimed at recruiting the unemployed, underemployed and underrepresented into the construction industry. The course is designed to be 12 weeks long and includes essential skills, safety training, hand and power tools and practical work site experience. The goal is for successful graduates of the course to step directly into construction jobs.
The Manitoba Construction Sector Council hopes to be able to advertise the program soon, closely followed by interviews and selection of the successful applicants. The first class is limited to 16 participants.
This will hopefully be the first step in the creation of numerous full-time jobs in Manitoba's construction industry.
Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association.
