The focus of Essential Skills and the Northern Oil and Gas Workforce was on effective training with a particular emphasis on the role of essential skills enhancement in the development of the northern workforce. It was hoped that this conference would help to raise awareness of essential skills and provide a jumping off point for increased essential skills integration in education and workplace training programs. The Mackenzie Gas Project, the diamond mines and the oil sands projects will all require workers in the next several years. In their recently completed study The Decade Ahead, the Petroleum Human Resources Sector Council (PHRSC) identified seven key human resources issues that will face the oil and gas industry in the next decade. These include:
As the economic boom in the north continues to grow in size and scope, the opportunities for northern workers to become full economic participants in their local communities and in the broader economy of the north and Canada also increases. In order for this full participation to be realized, however, northerners must have access to relevant, useful training that meets their requirements and the requirements of employers.
The skills shortage is already complicating labour supply in the major industries. Employers need employees who have the ability to adapt to change and transfer skills from job to job. Effective training programs that incorporate essential skills, will lead to a better return on the investment to be made in training for northern-based workers.
But why focus on essential skills?
Essential skills are the skills people need for work, learning and life. They provide the foundation for addressing all other skills and are the cornerstone of lifelong learning. These skills are used in virtually all occupations and throughout daily life in different forms and at different levels of complexity. Without adequate essential skills, individuals are less able to acquire knowledge, adapt to workplace change, and benefit from the global economy. Inclusion of essential skills in training programs has been proven to help increase the success of trainees and enables them to access and retain jobs more effectively.
In order to be able to enhance training programs through the integration of essential skills, northern-based trainers need opportunities to learn about essential skills, essential skills focussed tools and resources that are available, and training programs that successfully incorporate essential skills.
Essential Skills and the Northern Oil and Gas Workforce aimed to raise awareness, promote the exchange of ideas and encourage the integration of essential skills into all training.