Canadian Immigration News

New Agreement on Developing Skilled Work Force in Canada Announced

In order to advance the long-term competitiveness of the oil sands region with a particular focus on the development of a stronger skilled trades workforce, a new joint agreement has been announced by Canada's Building Trade Unions and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).

Currently, Canada is the world's second-largest oil producer. 'Oil sands', an area of oil deposits mostly located in Alberta, is where most of the deposits are. This wealth of oil results in tens of thousands of Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and temporary foreign workers working in the industry.

Under the new agreement, the two organizations will promote careers in skilled trades and work with government officials on initiatives to improve workforce availability, including workforce mobility, skilled trades training, apprenticeship opportunities, and immigration in Canada.

In a news release, Dave Collyer, president of CAPP noted that "oil sands is the largest employer of skilled trades workers in Canada....ensuring Canada has a strong skilled trades workforce benefits all Canadians".

"We need to work jointly to attract more Canadians into the skilled trades, provide more classroom and employment-based training opportunities, improve incentives to move within Canada for work, and as needed, increase both permanent and temporary immigration," Collyer added. "More skilled people who are mobile, certified and ready to work is a win-win."

In a recent forecast by the federal government's Construction Sector Council, the construction industry will create around 180,000 jobs in Canada by 2018 while about 200,000 skilled trades workers will retire. Although many Canadians will enter the workforce and help to fill the labour shortage, a 200,000-worker gap is still forecast to continue efficient production in the oil sands and throughout Canada.

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