Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER October 2, 2017 10 NEWS Post-secondary institutions have said they want to ensure graduates have the appropriate skill set employers are looking for, said Pascuzzo. "Our government wants to en- sure that students have paid work experience while they study so they are better able to find and keep good jobs." Work-integrated learning con- sists of opportunities such as in- ternships, apprenticeships and co-operative placements. ese programs give students critical hands-on experience in the work- place, he said. "Our government has listened to students, to post-secondary education institutions and to employers who have told us that graduates are not always coming out of school with the real-life ex- perience they need to succeed in their careers," said Pascuzzo. "is program will help to en- sure post-secondary students de- velop work-ready and entrepre- neurial business skills required to secure meaningful employment in high-demand occupations in STEM and business fields." Bridging the gap The work-integration program should serve as a carrot for em- ployers, and a good step in the journey to bridging the perceived skills gap in Canada, said Michael McDonald, executive director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations in Ottawa. "e federal government can play an important role in being able to promote work-integrated learning opportunities for stu- dents," he said, adding he hopes the program will extend past the STEM and business fields to in- clude others. But a recommitment to train- ing by employers would also be beneficial for students' successful transition to the workplace, said McDonald. "Canadian firms have demon- strated over the last 20 years both the commitment of wanting to foster a lot of young talent, but also taking some steps such as significant cutbacks in internal training and formalized training opportunities, which somewhat undermines their commitment to saying, 'I want to be able to develop and foster talent from Canadian markets,'" he said. "For us, we think this is a multi-faceted program." Government support in the form of wage subsidies could prove to be an eye-opening expe- rience for employers, said Anne- Marie Fannon, president of the Canadian Association for Co- operative Education (CAFCE) in Waterloo, Ont. The federal program should "make it easier for employers to bring in students so that they can really see the benefits," she said, adding a lack of funding and re- sources are typical barriers for employers looking to accommo- date students. "If we want to look at things at a national agenda, then the federal government has to be involved. Canada is behind some other countries in terms of having a na- tional strategy for work-integrat- ed learning." "e $5,000 or $7,000 might open the door for an employer to bring in a student but we don't want this to be a flash in the pan," said Fannon. "If we are really able to make this easy for employers, for them to see the return on in- vestment and to consider student talent as an ongoing integral com- ponent of their workforce, then we get that systemic change." Achieving long-term change It's not easy to find remedies for the skills gap between the educa- tion system and workplaces, as the rapidly shifting economy makes it near-impossible for first-year students to know what labour outcomes will be by the time they graduate, said McDonald. "Part of the struggle is obviously the differences between what is in demand at a specific time and those who are coming out," he said. "e ability to predict that is something that neither business nor government nor students are going to have the capacity to be completely prescient about their abilities to integrate into what's going to be an in-demand job field in four years." Regardless, it will be up to post- secondary institutions, private sector business and government to drum up the ultimate, long- term solution, said McDonald. But putting undue pressure on employers to accept young workers with inappropriate skill sets is not the answer, said Royce Mendes, an economist at CIBC in Toronto and author of Education and Employability: Can We Close the Gap? "It's difficult to ask employers to change what they're looking for," he said. "ey're running private businesses for the sake of profits for their shareholders. ey're go- ing to be looking for specific skill sets and I think the education system is what needs to mould to be able to provide those types of candidates to these private businesses." Still, it's crucial that employ- ers are part of the solution, said McDonald. "We do understand that this does pose challenges for busi- nesses as well, who are in an expe- rience where they're finding talent able to step in quickly and adapt to their environment fast," he said. "But we think that being able to play a positive, constructive role in the partnership is something that for everybody will be beneficial." is facilitates their integration with private sector businesses, said McDonald. "It's a strong setup for how private sector firms should en- gage with students. We're strong, strong supporters of paid com- pensation positions that get them in the door, get them to under- stand the workplace culture, get the workplace expectations, but also making sure that they're sup- ported through that time." Advice for employers Organizations that have not pre- viously participated in student work placements will receive guidance and support on pro- gram implementation from sup- porting delivery partners, said Pascuzzo. "Employers are encouraged to partner with post-secondary education institutions who are delivering STEM and business programs to provide students in these programs." Organizations like CAFCE are aiming to create toolkits for em- ployers that share best practices and create sustainable opportu- nities, said Fannon. e hope is that employers once again view students as a powerful talent pipeline, she said. "We all need to hire junior students because they can bring great value into the workplace," said Fannon. "They have skills but those foundational experiences for our students help make them better prepared for subsequent work experiences, both while they're in school and after they graduate. We can't all just hire the fourth- year student that has had six work terms." Sometimes, the return on in- vestment with a junior student is their questions, perspectives and fresh take on how things are done, she said. "By bringing in students from across the different levels, we can really build a lot of student talent and help address that skills gap so they are coming out of university and college ready to run." Ability to predict demand for jobs 'part of struggle' SKILLS GAP < pg. 1 matters for Sylvestre, the pro- election councillor, and others. ere was also a discussion about dismissing Sylvestre, Benjamin, and the employee assaulted by the pro-chief councillor. Sylvestre and Benjamin soon received termination letters dated May 5 stating they had abandoned their positions based on an unau- thorized order from "a gathering of rogue band members" and their employment was terminated be- cause they failed to return. ey both filed unjust dismissal com- plaints, arguing it was reasonable to leave work as directed by the pro-election councillor given the "uncertainty and poisoned atmo- sphere" in the office. In addition, they said they weren't warned they would be terminated if they didn't return to work. Adjudicator weighs in In May 2017, an adjudicator found there was no doubt the band office was closed temporarily because of "the chaos and political turmoil," and this was a reasonable direction by the pro-election councillor, re- gardless of who had authority. e adjudicator also noted that all em- ployees left, not just Sylvestre and Benjamin, and they had no choice. Though the office reopened, Sylvestre and Benjamin stayed off work because they thought it was the right thing to do, said the ad- judicator. And the atmosphere at the band office was not favourable to them if they did return. "e degree of dysfunction in the workplace was significant, as evidenced by the criminal charges against the chief and (the pro-chief councillor). ere is no doubt in my mind that the (pro-chief ) fac- tion viewed Sylvestre and Benja- min as enemies, for want of a bet- ter term," said the adjudicator. "It would be unreasonable to expect that Sylvestre and Benjamin would return without some assurance that the infighting was over or, at the very least, that the situation at the band office was stable." The adjudicator pointed out there was no followup in writing to the two employees indicat- ing they should return to work, and no-one in the office spoke to either of them to say they were expected back. In addition, the April 28 meeting had a motion that proposed to reinstate Sylves- tre and Benjamin, indicating they were already terminated, said the adjudicator. "It is no stretch to conclude that (Sylvestre and Benjamin) were be- ing punished because they ques- tioned the authority of (the chief and his faction), not because they hadn't returned to work," said the adjudicator. Sylvestre and Benjamin were unjustly dismissed, said the ad- judicator. BRDN was ordered to pay Sylvestre $85,270 in dam- ages — including compensation for past and future wage loss and $2,500 in damages for mental dis- tress. (She didn't want reinstate- ment.) BRDN was also ordered to reinstate Benjamin to her position and pay her $68,800 in damages — including compensa- tion for wage loss and $1,500 for mental distress. For more information, see: Sylvestre and Buffalo River Dene First Nation, Re, 2017 Carswell- Nat 2500 (Can. Lab. Code Adj.). SASKATCHEWAN < pg. 7 'Degree of dysfunction in workplace significant' ere was no followup in writing to indicate workers should return to work. "We're strong supporters of paid compensation positions to get them in the door, get them to understand the culture, and making sure they're supported." Graduates leave the congregation ceremony at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., in 2015. Credit: Mr. Nikon (Shutterstock)

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