iec catalyst business edition spring 2010

Invest Today Benefit Tomorrow Be a Mentor!

30 Years of Dedicated Service

March 2010, Business edition

EC Hamilton has been serving the Hamilton community since 1980. The first of its kind in

Canada, our founding partners had the foresight to believe in and develop a council whose sole purpose was to promote the importance of career-mentorship and facilitate connections between industry and education. We have a truly wonderful city with new and exciting prospects on the way (see Canada Bread article on page 6),fantastic educational systems

and thousands of young people who have a thirst for knowledge and a desire to learn. Our students are looking to US to help them navigate and develop the essential skills required for a successful and rewarding life.

There are a variety of ways that you can get involved with our future workforce - from visiting a classroom and talking about your career journey, to taking on a student for a cooperative education or intern placement. We can help customize your level of involvement to ensure that you are selecting the appropriate career-mentoring activity for you and your organization. Contact us at 905-529-4483 or at [email protected]

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Did you know that students start thinking

about careers as early as Kindergarten?

Inside this issue:

K-Lite FM: Exposing Youth to Careers in radio Broadcasting

2

Spring Events 3

Workplace Tour at Green Venture

3

The print Studio: Mentoring Hamilton’s Future Artists

4

Apprenticesearch.com: Bochek Fabricating Ltd.

5

10 Key Apprentice Retention Factors

5

Employers’ Advice on Integrating immigrants into your Workplace

6

A World of Health and Safety 8

‘Canada Bread Bringing 300 jobs to Hamilton

6

Visit IEC’s new website at

www.iechamilton.ca

Ornamental Contribute $14.6 Billion to Canada’s Economy

7

The IEC Catalyst is delivered to over 15000 people in Hamilton. Are you

involved in preparing Hamilton’s future workforce? Tell us your stories and have your school,

business or organization featured in the coming issues of The Catalyst.

Email us at [email protected]

K-Lite FM - Exposing Youth to Careers in Radio Broadcasting


www.iechamilton.ca The Catalyst March 2010

simulated creative session by putting them in groups to write and act out radio commercials.

The goal of this visit, organized by the IEC Speaker’s Bureau, was to get young people excited about a career in broadcasting and expose them to the jobs available in that sector. The K-Lite team agrees that this outreach is highly valuable and grade 7 and 8 are the right ages to let young people discover the various career choices available. Wishing she had the same exposure when she was in school, Sunni underlined that “the kids were extremely interested and engaging” and that she believes “there will be a few future broadcasters among them”. She added that all professionals from any sector should use this opportunity to get the kids’ attention. Tracy also emphasized that ‘from a business point of view, it helps you appreciate what you do and think ‘yes, I have a cool job’.

The K-Lite FM experience at Billy Green School has also enabled the station to learn what the students think about their services. With the rise of various new media and iPods, there is some research indicating that young people don’t listen to the radio any more but these 7 and 8 graders proved the contrary is true by listing the radio stations they listen to on a regular basis.

heir voices are familiar to people in Hamilton, many of whom let Sunni

Genesco and Jodi Gaskell be part of their rushed mornings by tuning their radio to 102.9 K Lite FM. Two weeks ago, these Morning Show personalities and their colleagues, Creative Writer-Patty Merritt and Marketing & Promotion Director-Tracy Fischer, had an afternoon out of the ordinary when they visited the grade 7 and 8 classes at Billy Green Elementary School. The purpose of their visit was to enlighten students about the variety of career options that exist within the Radio Broadcasting sector.

By involving employees that work in different positions, the K-Lite FM team was able to demonstrate for the students that careers in a radio station are not only about ‘being on the air’. Tracy told them that there are many options that don’t require a good voice. In fact, people can be in radio and build careers utilizing skills in research, writing, sales, promotion, marketing, accounting and general business management.

Sunni, co-host of ‘Sunni and Hayes Morning Show’ told her young audience that the crucial task for a radio show broadcaster is to be informed ‘a little bit about everything”. Jodi shared with them the idea that volunteering at a radio station opens doors that could result in a career opportunity. Tracy explained the legal intricacies of how a station defines and understands its audience. Patty let them picture and experience a

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102.9 K-Lite FM is Hamilton’s number one Radio Station and was a nominee at Canadian Music Week 2010 as ‘The Station of the Year’.

If you would like to be a community leader like the staff at K-Lite FM and if you are willing to share your work experience and wisdom with young people, contact Speakers Bureau at IEC. Participating is simple and the rewards are great. After all, without proper career expo-sure, who is going to work for you in the next 10 years? Sunni Genesco

Tracey Fischer

Jodi Gaskell

Patty Merritt

Future Building 2010 Hamilton

Future Building 2010 Hamilton Introduces exceptional career Paths for tomorrow’s builders! Future Building 2010 Hamilton is a FREE three-day, interactive hands on career exhibition designed to show attendees the opportunities available in the Ontario construction industry.

Participants can enjoy a wide variety of activities, for instance you can “Move the Earth” with Operating Engineers, “Hammer it Home” with the carpenters or take a “Virtual Walk” on skyscraper scaffolding.

Date: Tuesday April 13-15, 2010 Time: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Location: The Careport Centre, 270 Longwood Rd S, Hamilton, ON L8P 1A6

Path to Success

Employment Awareness Event If you are an Employer or a Community Employment Service Provider, this is your invitation to help prepare young and eager, emerging graduates make vital career decisions as they exit our Catholic Secondary Schools. You will be given a space to network and display your business. Date: April 27, 2010 Time: Employers and Service providers are asked to be available from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Location: Nicholas Mancini Centre, Main Floor 44 Hunt Street, Hamilton, ON For more information and registration, Contact: Marilyn Presutti 905 525 2930 ext 2845 [email protected]


Workplace Tour at Green Venture!

ete Wobschall-Executive Director of Green Venture took grade 7 and 8 students from Hillcrest Elementary on an adventurous workplace tour at

Green Venture. Green Venture provides information and services that help individuals reduce their impact on the environment and improve public health through improved air, water, and soil initiatives. It also promotes energy conservation, water conservation, waste and toxics reduction, green gardening and alternative transportation. Gooey Worms, flushing and non flushing toilets, shocking shower exhibits, yummy vegetable gardens, wind and energy demonstrations are all part of the workplace tour offered at Green Venture through the IEC Workplace Tour program. EcoHouse and Green Venture Home office serve to demonstrate environmental technologies from the past, present and future.

“Hands on demonstrations are constructive for the students”, says Pat Gross -Grade 7 and 8 Teacher at Hillcrest. “They’re more focused than in a classroom setting”. The students not only get to have fun while they’re learning, but they just might be inspired by their experience, and consider environmental studies as their future career! For that, Green Venture gets the “Green Light” from us!

Workplace Tours is a service that connects employers to elementary and secondary schools in Hamilton. It allows students to learn firsthand what life in the workplace is all about. In addition, it provides the students with information about different sectors while they observe operations and activities at a local business.

Are you interested in inspiring students to pursue a career in your field or sector? Then our workplace tour program is the right choice for you. Go to www.employerregistry.ca and register your organization or contact us at [email protected].


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Oung people thinking about art as a career might worry about the ‘starving artist’ stereotype. Many people do not yet recognize art as a valid career choice in an

industrial based society, at least not with the same regard they give to the health or steel industries. Colina Maxwell decided to tackle this problem when she cofounded the artist-run center, The Print Studio. Since then, that studio has become a unique addition to the creative hub of James Street North, leading the way to promote all aspects of Art. Mentoring future Hamilton artists has become one of the primary goals of the center. In collaboration with the school board, the studio now offers educational art sessions to both elementary and secondary students and provides co-op placements for those who want to become artists or art educators. Youth career mentorship is a simple process where experienced adults guide inexperienced young people so that they can learn the skills needed to succeed in a certain field. The Print Studio sees young people as integral to the future of the arts community and because of that they are willing to spend time with students to prepare them for a future in the arts. Matt Mclnnes, artist at the Studio, asserts that the program helps students discover their artistic inner self and learn about the business of Art. Lenox Daley, co-op student at The Print Studio and Hamilton Artist’s Inc., discovered her passion for art when she was five. Recognizing her daughter’s interest in drawing and illustrated comics, Lennox’s mother rented a gallery for her latest birthday. In spite of that family support, Lenox had some doubt that she could pursue art as a career and make a living. Her experience at these two placements has erased those concerns and encouraged her to do what she loves. As a result of this

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nurturing mentorship environment, Lenox has made up her mind to apply to the Ontario College of Art and Design. Those who mentored Lenox during her placement, including Colina and Matt, appreciate her contribution and her quest for learning. Even though they have limited staff, they believe that mentoring co-op students like Lenox compliments their mandate of promoting art education. Their colleague, Donna Lee Macdonald from The Hamilton Artists Inc., shares this view stating that co-op programs provide students with an environment that builds their confidence to pursue a post-secondary education or alternatively, enter into the world of work. Donna added that mentoring opportunities provide students with the chance to understand the mechanics behind how an art centre works, and validates art as a possible occupational choice. As Colina emphasized, mentoring opens ‘a whole new world’ to young people and benefits the art sector itself by encouraging enthusiastic future artists and educators, who will eventually carry on her Studio’s motto of making ‘Art the New Steel’ in Hamilton.


The Print Studio - Mentoring Hamilton’s Future Artists

Students can focus their secondary school education on specific careers? These programs are called Spe-cialist High Skills Majors (SHSM). The Arts & Culture SHSM program is available at Bishop Ryan, Cardinal Newman, St. Jean de Brebeuf, St. Thomas More, Glen-dale and Westdale Secondary Schools.

Colina Maxwell

Co-op Student Lenox Daley and Education Coordinator Matt McInnes– The Print Studio

Did you know …?

ruce Bochek, the owner of Bochek Fabricating, was in a bind. He

needed to fill an important void in his Precision Metal Fabricating Position that was left vacant unexpectedly. He registered and posted the job on www.apprenticesearch.com website after he was contacted by Hamilton’s Apprenticesearch Liaison. Within a few days he had over 30 applicants! After just five interviews, he hired Michael Prokopetz, a Mohawk College graduate in Mechanical Engineering Technology. M i c h a e l h a d r e g i s t e r e d o n apprenticesearch.com hoping to find an employer to sign him on as an apprentice. He applied to over 10 vacancies and when interviewed by Bruce Bochek, they both knew it was a good fit. That was mid April of 2008 and Michael is well on his way to completing h i s apprenti cesh ip requirement with Bochek Fabricating. During a conversation with Bruce on March 23, 2010, Bruce emphasized that when the economy gets into gear again

10 Key Apprentice Retention Factors

Liking Co-workers

Loyalty

Communication

and business recovers momentum, Bochek fabricating will be looking for more skilled trades people and will definitely use the no c h a r ge s e r v i ce s p r ov i de d b y www.apprenticesearch.com once again. Bruce said the site is easy to use at any time and produces quick results for both employers and applicants. Definitely, this is a win-win on all sides. Bochek Fabricating provides laser cutting services and custom fabricated metal products, steel service centre supplying ferrous , non-ferrous alloys and more. apprenticesearch.com provides free information and resources on apprenticeships, and operates a matching database to help connect apprentices and employers. Registration on the database section of the website is open to employers and job seekers across the province of Ontario. Anyone can access information and resources on the website.


Appreciation


B

Pride

Source: Apprentice Retention in The skilled Trades (IEC Study)

Bochek Fabricating Ltd. apprenticesearch.com: Connecting employers and apprentices

Safety

Financial Support

Access to Training

Responsibility

Work/ Life Balance

Apprentices want to be appreciated by their employers.

Apprentices rank ‘liking co-workers’ as the number one reason why they stay with their employers.

Loyal apprentices are more likely to stay and loyalty in-creases with job satisfaction.

Apprentices see positive and effective communication as central to good management.

Apprentices take pride in their work and don’t want to stay at workplaces with low standards.

Apprentices want to be given responsibility that matches their ability.

Apprentices want to work in a safe environment and pro-duce safe products and services.

Apprentices want to receive better financial support

Apprentices want better access to advanced apprentice-ship training.

Apprentices want to work for an employer who recognizes that employees have a life outside of the workplace.

Bruce Bochek (left), owner of

Bochek Fabricating and

Michael Prokopetz,

apprentice at Bochek

Fabricating.

Employers’ Advice on Integrating immigrants into your Workplace


Canada Bread bringing 300 jobs to Hamilton


ccording to the Hamilton Training Advisory Board’s

report ‘Charting Hamilton’s Labor Market: Past, Present and Future’, 21,000 workers are expected to retire in Hamilton by 2016 and some 50,000 new employees will be needed to take over jobs created as a result of retirements and new economic opportunities. The same study emphasizes that the City doesn’t have ‘a home grown population of younger people large enough to fill these jobs’. This means the bulk of the future

workforce is expected to come from immigration. How does Hamilton do in attracting skilled immigrants? According to a study conducted by the Jobs Prosperity Collaborative (JPC), the city has a long way to go in that regard. Between 2003 to 2008, Hamilton received only 2.6% of the new immigrants to Ontario. The numbers of people moving in is decreasing and those moving out is increasing. Even though, most immigrants to Hamilton are on average highly educated, it is challenging for them to find jobs that match their experience and skills. As a result, a higher percentage of immigrant families have lower incomes compared to non-immigrant families.

A The JPC study includes advice from employers, who have experience in working with immigrants and integrating them into the workplace: “Increasing the diversity in the workplace is part

of an organizational change process. Employers cannot just mention diversity in their literature and expect anything to change. First, they themselves need to get trained and educated. Then you have to allocate resources for it.”

“If diversity is a goal, review and think outside traditional hiring methods, even how you meet applicants (resumes, application forms, one-on-one interviews). There has to be a culture established within the organization to support this, including getting the supervisors on board, and people must believe it is right for the business.”

“Hiring professionals need to be educated about the quality of immigrants coming to Canada. Hiring is often done by junior HR personnel who may simply screen out applicants who do not fit the mold.”

“I would advise other firms not to be deterred by applicants with unusual names. Don’t automatically put them at the bottom of the pile. You are wasting a lot of opportunities if you do that.”

“Mentoring is the key. Immigrants need guidance and a dose of reality, direction and encouragement.”

“Take a risk; stop being fearful of what is different.”

“Hire someone on contract and let them prove themselves.”

To read the full JPC study go to: http://www.jpchamilton.ca/sites/jpchamilton.ca/files/JPC%20Immigration%20White%20Paper%20final.pdf

n February 17, 2010, Canada Bread announced its intention

to build Canada's largest bakery in Hamilton. This $100-million, 375,000-square-foot bakery in the city's industrial park in North Glanbrook will create 300 permanent jobs, as well as an additional 120 spots during construction and 31 seasonal positions. It will also generate $1.1 million to $1.5 million in taxes annually and $2.5 million in development charges. Hamilton was chosen from among several municipalities because of its Golden Horseshoe location, its skilled workforce and the park's proximity to major highways. Ian MacPherson, Canada Bread's vice-president of human resources, also said the company is familiar with the city as it operates two other factories here, on Nebo Road and in Stoney Creek. "The choice to locate in Hamilton -- well, quite frankly, it was easy for us," MacPherson said. For more information on investing in Hamilton, visit: www.investinhamilton.ca.

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national study of The impact of ornamental horticulture on Canada’s economy depicts

that ornamental production, horticultural services, horticultural equipment manufacturing, and trade and distribution sectors are a stimulus to the entire Canadian economy. The summary of the report reads as follows:

Based on multipliers generated from Statistics Canada Input-Output (“I/O”) tables, total economic contribution of the ornamental horticultural sector to Canada is:

- $14.48 billion, comprised of � $6.98 billion in output � $7.5 billion in value added impacts,

Direct sector employment is 110,750 full-time equivalent positions. Together with indirect employment generated by the sector, the total direct and indirect full-time equivalent employment is 132,776 jobs. With the number of people employed in the sector on a seasonal basis, the actual number of workers is much higher. In addition, the sector induces a significant number of additional jobs through household spending by employees in the sector. It is estimated that for every two jobs in the

Ornamental Horticulture Contributes $14.6 Billion to Canada’s Economy



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Did You know…? The City of Hamilton offers financial incentive programs in the form of loans and grants to assist with various costs associated with development/redevelopment in the Downtowns, Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) and "main street" corridors. The Downtown & Community Renewal Community Improvement Plan provides the basis through which these programs are provided. In addition, development within a defined area of Downtown Hamilton is exempt from development charges. More information is available at http://www.investinhamilton.ca/images/stories/pdf/downtownrenewal/DCR-ProgramsSummarySheet.pdf

sector, another job is generated in the economy.

The sector generates $3.8 billion in employment income and another $850 million in end-user taxes generated (PST and GST). Ornamentals are the only sector of agriculture that attracts GST at the first point of transfer in the value chain, from the producer to the wholesaler, retailer or final consumer. All other agriculture is zero-rated.

Source: http://www.canadanursery.com/Page.asp?PageID=122&ContentID=1269 Contributed By: Sally Harvey

“The sector generates $3.8 billion in

employment income and another $850 million in end-user taxes generated.”

If you have questions about workplace health and safety, CCOHS can help. Access our OSH Answers fact sheets online, or call our health and safety experts for confidential, one-on-one assistance. Engage with online health and safety communities through the workplace discussion board and HS-Canada e-mail discussion group. Tap into comprehensive websites for young workers, healthy workplaces and pandemic planning. CCOHS also provides online training courses, newsletters, podcasts and webinars, many of which are available for free. To learn more about how CCOHS can help you achieve a safe and healthy workplace, visit www.ccohs.ca, call 905.572.2981, or

orkplaces have become increasingly complex and employers and workers

have a shared responsibility to ensure they are knowledgeable about how to protect themselves from harm. In fact, it’s the law. Whether it’s about planning for emergencies, working in confined spaces, being aware of chemical hazards and WHMIS, addressing workplace violence issues or creating effective health and safety committees, you can find practical tools and information from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). Based here in Hamilton, CCOHS has been trusted as Canada’s national resource for the advancement of workplace health and safety for more than 30 years.

Lily Lumsden, General Manager, YMCA Career Development and Learning

Tim McCabe, General Manager, Planning and Economic Development, City of Hamilton

Rick McClure, Training Manager, US Steel Canada

Beryl Roberto, Retired President and CEO, Teachers Credit Union

Pat Rocco, Superintendent, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board

Mark Zega, Barrister and Solicitor, Evans, Philp

Cheryl Jensen, IEC Chair VP, Technology, Apprenticeship and Corporate Training, Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology Ron Bailey, Team Leader Human Resources, Professional Development, ArcelorMittal Dofasco

Diane Dent, Professor, Faculty of French, Redeemer University College

Nancy Di Gregorio, Superintendent, Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board

Lloyd Ferguson, Ward 12 City Councillor, City of Hamilton


A World of Health and Safety Help, Here in Hamilton

IEC Board of Directors

Visit IEC’s new website at www.iechamilton.ca


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iec catalyst business edition spring 2010

Documents

radio broadcasting

importance of career

career journey

appropriate career

thousands of young people

lite fm experience

hamiltons future workforce

hamilton community