Workforce Capabilities

Canada’s workforce must be prepared to meet the future requirements of manufacturing.

In order to ensure this goal:

• Careers in manufacturing must be viewed as attractive opportunities for young people;
• Employees must possess the basic skills required to work in a responsible, innovative, highly flexible, and internationally networked business environment, and be able to take every opportunity to improve their capabilities;
• Manufacturers must be able to find people with the mix of specialized skills they require;
• Apprenticeship programs must be updated to meet the changing skills requirements of manufacturing;
• Manufacturers must invest in continually upgrading the skills and capabilities of their workforce, and strengthen collaborative efforts in skills training;
• Canada’s immigration system must be employed more effectively to enable economic development and improve access for manufacturers to skilled and experienced personnel;
• Canadians must have the opportunity to continually upgrade their skills and capabilities; and,
• Employment practices must encourage the attraction and retention of skilled and experienced employees, and the continuous improvement of employee capabilities.

Current & Future Capabilities

Business success depends on the capabilities of Canada’s workforce. Among the manufacturers participating in CME’s 2004 Management Issues Survey:

• 78% of companies cite the availability of qualified personnel as an important factor affecting their innovation activities;
• 42% cite limitations on the availability of skilled and experienced personnel as a strategic issue that will fundamentally change business practices over the next five years; and,
• 38% say that access to a skilled labour force is a significant factor in affecting business location decisions.