Immigration Canada: Industry Employers Gain Another Tool to Meet Growing Labour Requirements as the Electricity Sector Council (ESC) Launches Their Internationally Trained Worker Resource Kit

Brunell Way. This is Brunell Way part of a large business park to the north of Colchester. The mainly service industries based here have to some degree helped alleviate the unemployment caused by the closure of Colchester’s traditional engineering employers such as the lathe company. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

OTTAWA, March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Currently, immigrants represent only 13% of the total labour force in Canada's utilities industry (the electricity and renewables sector being a key component) - well below the national average of 19% of immigrants employed in all industries. This means other industries are facing similar challenges with skill shortages and are pursuing Internationally Trained Workers (ITWs) as a source of talent.

In this context, the ESC developed a resource kit to support employers to more effectively reach this valuable talent. The kit provides pragmatic resources to enable employers to become more effective at recruiting, hiring, and retaining ITWs.

"The ITW resource kit will be of huge help in terms of navigating the processes with hiring International workers. With so much growth in this industry it is important to reach out to skilled workers all over the world. This kit is a resource for both industry and workers as well and contains a collection of tried and tested ideas and resources from industry across Canada," says Lynn Meloney, Project Chair and HR Specialist at Emera Utility Services.

The ESC's 2011 Labour Market Information report, Power in Motion, revealed that there are many reasons for employers in the electricity and renewable energy industry to employ ITWs including help meet labour needs and connect employers with other workers.

Funded by the Foreign Credential Referral Office of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the material is available in hard copy, and electronically with hyperlinks to other useful resources and websites at www.brightfutures.ca/international .

SOURCE Electricity Sector Council