Passport to Prosperity

On September 23, 2003, hundreds of business leaders from across Ontario gathered to discuss the issues of youth work experience and the looming threat of skills shortages. The forum, 'Building Tomorrow's Workforce: Students in Today's Workplace', was sponsored by the Provincial Partnership Council and partners and provided human resource professionals and employers with practical information about offering high school students work experiences.

Speakers from partner organizations included Monica Belcourt, President of the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario; Len Crispino, President of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce; Don Jackson, Chair of the Provincial Partnership Council and Edward Scheck, C.A. and Chair of the Toronto Board of Trade. Employers, teachers and students also spoke about their experiences.

"With the help of our dedicated partners, the forum reinforced the important message that working with employers and schools helps students develop the skills, attitudes and knowledge necessary for future success," said Tom Flanagan, President and COO of BMO InvestorLine and Chair of the HR Forum Task Force.

Simultaneous events took place in communities across the province. The forum was webcast and is available in its entirety at www.olpg.on.ca.

The information in this edition of the Passport to ProsperityUpdate highlights the topics discussed at the forum.

1. Students are the future of our economy.
2. Training students today creates a labour pool of skilled workers for tomorrow.
3. School-work initiatives are a cost-effective solution to recruiting, training and retaining young workers.
4. Work opportunities expose students to career options which they may not have considered, increasing career awareness of new and traditional industries.
5. Offering high school students work experience increases competitiveness and enhances an organization’s productivity.
6. Students are a valuable resource, with expertise in the latest technology and computer software.
7. Having students in the workplace provides an opportunity for employees to enhance management, team work and communication skills.
8. Mentoring students is an excellent opportunity for professional development.
9. Students bring fresh ideas, energy and enthusiasm into the workplace.
10. Being involved in school-work initiatives enhances an organization’s public image and consumer loyalty.

Keeping students safe in the workplace requires a partnership between employers, schools and parents.

Over 15 per cent of employees in Ontario are young people (ages 15-24). This makes up 850,000 of the 6 million people employed in Ontario. Young workers are 25 per cent more likely to sustain injuries on the job because they are excited about working and eager to please their employers. Most of these injuries happen in the first year of work. It is essential to ensure that students are properly trained before beginning their work experience.

There are a number of reasons why young people tend to suffer more injuries on the job. These factors include:

• Lack of life experience.
• Expectations that the workplace will be safe.
• Not recognizing many common workplace hazards.

"Young people do not want to appear incompetent," said Cathi Carr of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. "They just want to do a really good job."

"Young workers are intimidated and they don't like to speak up. They just want to impress," pointed out Lyle Hargrove, Director of the Canadian Auto Workers Health and Safety Fund.

Secondary school students in Ontario are receiving health and safety related information through numerous curricula including science, business, technology and guidance. A resource for teachers called Live Safe! Work Smart!, has been developed and distributed to secondary schools through a partnership of the Ministries of Education and Labour and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

For more information about safety in the workplace, please visit www.worksmartontario.gov.on.ca or www.youngworker.ca.

The Provincial Partnership Council works with a variety of organizations across Ontario to relay the message:

Wanted:
More Interested Employers
More Work Experiences
for High School Students

The Provincial Partnership Council and the Passport to Prosperity campaign are supported by the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Partners include the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, the Toronto Board of Trade, the Ontario Learning Partnership Group and a number of professional associations in a variety of sectors.

David Dodge, Governor of the Bank of Canada, was honoured at a tribute dinner hosted by the Canadian Foundation of Economic Education on November 3, 2003. Recognized for his distinguished career as a public servant and his role in shaping the economy of Canada, David Dodge offered his wisdom and advice on economic education. The following are excerpts from the speech he gave at the tribute dinner.

Discussing the symbiotic relationship between the public and private sectors, Mr. Dodge said "nowhere is the relationship more important than in the development of human capital through education, training, and learning by doing." An advocate of school-work experiences Mr. Dodge noted that "one of the keys to making school more productive and relevant for our times lies in linking formal education to practical experience - building a bridge to the real world. We should all be doing what we can to provide opportunities for high-school students to work with skilled tradespeople on the shop floor, with computer technicians and programmers in our businesses and offices, and even with economists at the Bank of Canada."

According to Mr. Dodge, "all of us, as parents, employers and public policy makers will have to keep thinking of ways to provide new opportunities for our youth to learn by doing."

To read more on Mr. Dodge’s insight on educating our future workforce, visit www.bankofcanada.ca

The InterContinental Toronto Centre is an industry leader in raising awareness among students about the potential career opportunities in the hotel setting. The hotel and hospitality industry has faced many challenges over the last couple of years. A variety of economic and world events have curtailed travel. This has had an effect on people looking for careers in hospitality.

Malcolm Dales, Manager, Recruitment and Retention at the InterContinental, is actively involved in the hotel's work experience initiatives. "The hotel is a unionized environment. Work experience in a unionized setting must be very transparent – students must be seen as doing learning tasks, not job tasks." Mr. Dales pointed out that "the work that the student is doing has to be in a learning capacity, not in a job role. For example, let's take potato peeling – it could be seen by the union as a task or it could be seen as learning. If you have the student peel a bucket of potatoes, that’s learning. Have them spend four weeks peeling potatoes, that's a job. You have to be clear on that."

Under the leadership of a very passionate chef, the culinary team has accepted having students on the team in the kitchens at the InterContinental. "It gives them a real sense of value at the end of the day that they've contributed to the overall success of a student," said Mr. Dales. "In fact, we learn every day from what the students have to tell us."

When it comes to job placement, the students receive the same training plan as the full time staff, with a designated trainer providing orientation.

"It's an extremely successful initiative in our view," said Mr. Dales, "because we are now starting to see higher enrolments in colleges and universities for hospitality and tourism."