Mapping A Strategy to Address Skilled Labour Shortage
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 @ 3:04 PM
Prince George, B.C. – “This is a community that is so incredibly solution focused” that’s how Kelly Pollack, the Executive Director of the Immigrant Employment Council of B.C. describes Prince George.The latest issue requiring a solution, is the labour shortage which is facing Prince George and the north as the resource sector opens up.
Pollack is in Prince George to be part of the one day forum aimed at developing strategies to attract skilled immigrants to the north.
( at right, Kelly Pollack alongside forum welcome sign – photo 250NEWS)
Every year, about 40 thousand immigrants settle in B.C., but few move outside of Metro Vancouver, even though communities like Prince George, and the north in general, offer many opportunities.
“When people talk about the skills and labour shortages, what I always say is, there are two critical components to that, one is that we are not gong to have enough workers from within Canada. When you look at the demographics, that is the reality. The second piece to that is, we are still not utilizing, to the degree that we need to, the people who are already landed here. So a lot of the conversation is, how do you get those folks who have landed in Vancouver, stuck in the lower mainland who are looking for good communities and jobs, and move them to where they are wanted and needed? That’s where I think you will see key strategies coming out of today.”
About 45 people representing all sectors of the economy are taking part in today’s event.
Pollack says there has to be a community integration strategy that will support the workforce integration strategy “Everyone has to work together on this. I had someone in the lower mainland say to me a week ago ‘I have 200 unemployed clients, what should I tell them?’ and I said to her, ‘move’. Those are folks who are looking for jobs who want to build lives for their families. They just need to know there is something that will draw them here.” She says the IEC BC, working with leaders in the Prince George community, will develop a strategy to bring those workers to P.G.
Does that mean the one day session will wrap with a solution? No says Pollack “I can’t say that at the end of the day we are going to hand you a piece of paper with the whole strategy mapped out, I know the plan is to start the beginning of that today, flesh it out even further and make sure everyone is involved.” She says it has to be a coordinated strategy that will include the City of Prince George and City Council.
IEC BC is headquartered in Vancouver, and Pollack offers kudos to P.G. for moving on this issue “I see Prince George is stepping out ahead of, quite frankly, many other communities around the province. Let’s get out there and make P.G. the example of what the rest of B.C. should be doing."
Comments
“how do you get those folks who have landed in Vancouver, stuck in the lower mainland who are looking for good communities and jobs, and move them to where they are wanted and needed”
This is quite a bizarre statement as it implies that immigrants who arrive in the LML are not wanted there and they would rather be somewhere else.
The reality is that the LML is likely far more attractive to immigrants than places like PG. The climate is less extreme, it has every service one could think of, the culture is far more diverse and developing social links would be much easier, it isn’t isolated and the job market is not only larger, but it is broader. Housing costs and traffic may be downsides, but many immigrants are coming from places where the housing costs and traffic are worse than the LML so even that isn’t as big of a deal as people may initially think. For many people, the LML of BC would be like stepping into heaven.
To attract people to PG, PG needs to be an attractive city. It can’t stink when they come to visit, they must not need to visit a front end shop before leaving, there has to be some green space left in town (preferably on the main roads they will drive on) and they have to believe that their family will have a good lifestyle if they choose to live there. Oh and the corner stores have to take all of the Macleans magazines off their rack whenever a potential new resident comes to check the place out ;)
Bang on, NMG.
“Oh and the corner stores have to take all of the Macleans magazines off their rack whenever a potential new resident comes to check the place out ;)”
Except when the University issue comes out. We don’t question that one. ;)
LOL, yeah that’s a good point!
^^^^
Totally agree with the above two posters. 100% accurate!!
The question . How do we fix It appears that the city dosent even know what a community plan is. God help us.
Cheers
Our community plan is like the wheel of fortune. Keep spinning it until you win!
Apple “mapping”? That would be most interesting.
yes lets fix this city!!! let’s all chip in a couple more dollars and make it happen……….oh that’s right nobody can spare a dime!!
Here’s hoping that 2013 will have the City put the same money into roads as they did in 2012……
As for the big scary crime stats, hopefully that handful of bad PG residents are reading this post and decide to move to Fort Mac. Merry Christmas.
To address the “skills shortage”: get all the easterners who come out here to “live the dream” and grow weed on welfare interested in growing up and getting a job. Brown shirts and billy clubs have gotten results in the past…
This would also have the nice benefit of squelching the annoying “protest everything” culture that has become so popular in BC.
shouldn’t immigration be advising them that mostjob oppertunities are in the mines and mills etc,and forestry.
instead of just cramming them into vancouver just to attain their quota for the year.
Gambler are you actually talking about forming a nazi party? With yourself as the new Adolf? Great idea, we can put the gas chambers out in haldi and gas all the people you deem to be subhuman. Worked well last time huh?
Students get student loans forgiven for taking jobs in the north, new immigrants can sign up for 5 years in the north if they want to attain citizenship.
Someone is missing the point. If we need to bring in people for jobs we must not have enough skilled workers. Why do we not have them? It is because government and industry are not providing training opportunities for our own citizens. Instead of sitting at home. To collect your welfare or EI, you go to upgrading classes and companies are expected to have apprenticeship program or they pay more taxes.
if training was affordable i think Canadians could be skilled workers.
Comments for this article are closed.