Businesses in Timmins and across Ontario are finding it more and more challenging to recruit qualified staff, according to a new report issued today by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) in partnership with the Timmins Chamber of Commerce.

The report, Talent in Transition: Addressing the Skills Mismatch in Ontario, indicates that 82 per cent of Ontario businesses who sought to hire staff in 2016 experienced a challenge in finding someone with the proper qualifications.

Similar concerns about the growing skills mismatch are felt by those seeking employment: the report also highlights a general population poll indicating that half of Ontarians are concerned that their skills will no longer be useful or will become less valuable in the next decade.

“Staffing challenges continue to be one of the top issues faced by many Timmins businesses, preventing them from being able to grow or even maintain their current workforce,” said Christine Bender, President of the Timmins Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s an issue on which the Timmins Chamber has been active for many years, and this report indicates that the skills mismatch is a problem clearly shared by firms across the province. It’s therefore crucial that the Ontario government join employers and educators in finding solutions so that we’re able to strengthen our economy and provide meaningful career opportunities.”

To address the issue, the report proposes that the Ontario government work collaboratively to take action on 10 specific recommendations, two of which were crafted from resolutions put forward by the Timmins Chamber, and are identified as such in the report. These include:

  • Improving the transition from schools to the workplace by expanding experiential learning opportunities, such as work placements and internships, by collaborating with employers and better funding placement programs
  • Providing better support to post-secondary Indigenous education programs and follow through on commitments to sustainably fund Aboriginal Institutes.

Developed in partnership within the business and educational sectors, the report also recommends a number of major changes to improve and modernize how Ontario approaches the skilled trades. This includes the need to reform – or, if need be, dismantle — the Ontario College of Trades to better serve its mandate to assist in attracting and training new tradespeople.

The report also recommends modernization of the apprenticeship systems, including an examination of the ratio for the number of apprentices per journeyperson – an issue that is more prevalent for businesses in smaller urban and remote communities throughout Northern Ontario.

“Ontario employers are finding it more and more challenging to recruit properly qualified talent,” said Richard Koroscil, interim-President and CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “If improvements are not made, we will find ourselves in a situation where there are ‘people without jobs and jobs without people. Our latest report identifies opportunities to improve alignment of skills, education, career opportunities.”

This report is just one of many ongoing efforts by the Ontario Chamber network, including the Timmins Chamber of Commerce, is attempting to address the skills mismatch issue on behalf of its members.

The full report, Talent in Transition: Addressing the Skills Mismatch in Ontario, is available at http://tinyurl.com/TalentInTransition

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