S12 – Features

By Jen Davies

Youth unemployment in Canada has rarely been worse. In an economic period that has seen retirement savings shrink, Boomers aren’t retiring as expected. Long-time program funders like the federal and provincial governments are cutting the number of dollars they are spending on summer jobs programs and even on ongoing employment-related services, so there are fewer openings and recent graduates are competing for positions with recently laid-off experienced workers.

By Laura Henshaw

As career practitioners, it is a reality that, at various points in our lives, we will have to use for ourselves the advice that we give to our clients. In this personal account of her own job hunting, Laura Henshaw, who graduated in 2010 from the Career and Work Counsellor (CWC) program at George Brown College, tells us of her experience finding work as a career practitioner, still at the beginning of her career, in a difficult labour market. Lessons learned? Do not look down on volunteering and temporary work as a way to get experience and create ties! And also, network, network, network!

By Vijay Kumar Bhosekar

Due to the continued growth of the global population and the consequent expanding need for study of food crops and agriculture in general, the outlook for plant agriculture and agriculture experts is excellent. Past agricultural research has created higher yielding crops, crops with better resistance to pests and plant pathogens, and more effective fertilizers and pesticides. Research is still necessary, however, particularly as insects and diseases continue to adapt to pesticides and as soil fertility and water quality continue to need improvement. This article will discuss career opportunities and the labour market in the field of agriculture.

By Ann Webb

The Counselling Foundation of Canada provided a two-year grant in 2010 to the Canadian Art Foundation (CAF) to support the development of a new career-related website, canadianartschool.ca. The Canadian Art Foundation is a charitable organization that supports the visual arts in Canada with a mission to promote the understanding and appreciation of the field by providing an informative, provocative and lively forum for audiences to engage with artists and their works. Canadian Art magazine and canadianartschool.ca are two of CAF’s cornerstone initiatives. Canadianartschool.ca was launched in January 2011 as a means of supporting those who are interested in pursuing a career in visual arts or those currently in the art and design field seeking to enhance their career training and professional development.

Canadianartschool.ca features content targeted to teachers, students and parents that would certainly also be of help to career service professionals. This comprehensive site includes career profiles and guidance on art education and cultural careers with much of this material focusing on practical, “how-to” topics relating to art school and building a successful career. Users can also get advice from experts in the field on making the most of their art-school experience. For instance, tips and tricks are offered on getting a start in the art world, from internships to portfolios to networking. The website likewise has teacher resources including four curriculum guides and videos about various art and design topics (from graphic design to painting to photography and new media), and short videos featuring artists, curators, writers and other Canadians who are leaders in the cultural field. The site also includes a comprehensive directory of art schools across Canada from universities with art programs to dedicated post-secondary art colleges to continuing education institutions.

The Canadian Art Foundation is very pleased to offer this new website that will provide much-needed guidance about art and design career-related matters. This website will prove to be an invaluable resource for those who are interested in a career in art and design, those involved in the field seeking to enhance their careers, and career practitioners who have clients looking for a way to find their place in the exciting world of visual arts.

Ann Webb is the Executive Director of the Canadian Art Foundation. Please visit canadianart.ca to familiarize yourself with its content and check back regularly as new material is updated on an ongoing basis.

Last Updated on Thursday, 26 July 2012 10:16

By Green Skills Network

With the support of the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC), the Green Skills Network has published Emerging Green Jobs in Canada, a labour market research report that provides insight for employment counsellors into the changing labour market and its potential for entry-level employment.

What a difference a decade makes.

Alberta’s oil sands operations sector employed just over 20,000 workers in 2011 and is projected to grow to 35,000 by 2021 (an increase of over 73%), according to a recent report by the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada. Increased production, combined with age-related attrition and competition from other industries, means the oil sands will need to fill over 23,000 vacancies over the next decade.

By the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC).

A resumption of oil patch activity, mining activity (particularly potash mining), major projects and housing starts have contributed to the tight labour market conditions for many skilled apprentice trades in Saskatchewan.

An active provincial economy has led to labour market shortages. The 2010 – 2013 Labour Market Conditions for the Apprenticeship Trades in Saskatchewan reports that in 2010, 26 of 34 skilled trades (76%) experienced labour shortages, with six considered severe: hairstylist, ironworker, painter and decorator, powerline technician, roofer, and sheet metal worker.

Looking ahead to 2013, the number of apprentice skilled trades experiencing shortages is expected to remain the same, but conditions for trades experiencing severe shortages are expected to worsen by twice the current shortage.

The Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC) and the Ministry of Advanced Education (formerly Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration) jointly surveyed 34 Saskatchewan apprentice trade boards (represented by both employers and employees) to gather information on labour market conditions for each of the skilled trades in 12 regional areas of Saskatchewan.

One of the few readily accessible sources of data for each trade, the survey results provide an important source of critical industry insight into the current and future labour market supply conditions, as well as the retention and recruitment of workers in 34 skilled trades. It also provided projections of future labour market conditions and information on areas where employers are looking to alleviate trade shortages – to the Aboriginal population, youth and immigrants.

Each trade board was asked to rank the labour supply for each individual skilled trade, using a ranking of ‘1’ through ‘5’.  A measure of ‘1’ indicated an excess labour supply, ‘3’ an adequate labour supply, and ‘5’ a severe labour shortage.

Pressing issues related to recruitment and retention of skilled workers is also presented in the report.

The mobility of workers within the province is a current retention concern, while inter-provincial mobility, an aging workforce and the retirement of workers are growing future concerns.

Other retention and recruitment concerns are wage competition from other skilled trades or employers, a lack of qualified workers, a lack of knowledge or interest in skilled trades, and a lack of experienced workers.

It is expected that the 2011 to 2014 version of this report will be publicly released later in 2012.

The full report can be found on the Government of Saskatchewan Website.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 July 2012 10:58

By Kerry Young

Like many other parts of Canada, B.C.’s labour market was strongly impacted by the recent recession. It was only in the latter half of 2011 that B.C.’s employment exceeded the pre-recession peak.

By Rick Miner

We are about to encounter a crisis that will challenge our economic well-being and shake the foundations of our institutions and social structures. We cannot escape the changes that lie just in front of us, but we can prepare. The effectiveness of our response or plan depends upon the creativity and determination we are prepared to apply to meeting this challenge.