Presenters:
Colin MacGregor (Aboriginal Futures)
Reid Warne (Imperial Oil)
Celina Stroeder (Albian Sands)
In this session, delegates heard three perspectives on training needs in the north. Colin outlined, from Aboriginal Futures perspective, what types of programs and training are needed to enable those who wish to enter the workforce to be successful. Reid Warne, of Imperial Oil, focused on the technical and essential/employability skills workers will need in order to acquire jobs related to building and maintaining a pipeline and Celina discussed approaches to skills development and best practices for developing local employment.
Aboriginal Futures was set up to manage an Aboriginal Skills Enhancement Program (ASEP) funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. The focus of Aboriginal Futures is on training and skills enhancement. One of the challenges for the initiative is that jobs in the oil industry in the north tend to be short term and/or seasonal. As a result, Aboriginal Futures has adopted a legacy approach, that is, the establishment of partnerships to enable the residents of the north, especially those individuals living in small communities, to develop higher level skills,. As part of this strategy, Aboriginal students are given grants to study at NAIT and SAIT, and funds are allocated to the introduction of new programs. Aboriginal Futures recognizes that the problem is not a lack of jobs in the north but rather the challenge of accessing and keeping jobs.
I believe there is a definite need for essential skills to aid development of a strong professional workforce in the north (a professional being anyone taking pay for skilled work services). Long-term jobs in the north associated with oil and gas production include those that use construction and operations skills and the skills needed for administration and data management. All jobs associated with construction and operations require well honed essential skills. In addition to providing the basics for effective use of job related skills, it has been demonstrated in other industrial settings that proficiency in essential skills increases worker safety performance.
By enhancing the essential skills of workers in the north, individuals’ ability to compete and win jobs, learn on the job, complete documentation correctly, read manuals and procedures, think critically, and transition to other positions and operational areas within the region are enhanced. To capture the benefits of integrating essentials skills into training it is important that industry collaborate with training providers, through initiatives such as this workshop, to help ensure training programs are relevant.