By Heidi Martin, Research Associate, Conference Board of Canada

The North is a vast region, dotted with diverse communities.  Economic conditions vary from place to place, but many Northern communities are experiencing the paradox of high unemployment rates while employers in those communities struggle to recruit.  In many regions in the North, this reflects a lack of labour force capacity among the local population.  Some communities, especially in Western Canada, are struggling to find workers at all levels, but Northern employers are certainly finding it difficult to recruit qualified applicants.  According to results of the Centre for the North's Survey of Northerners' Outlooks and Wants, Northerners feel that increasing employment opportunities is the number one way to make their communities a better place to live.

The Centre for the North's report, Building Labour Force Capacity in Canada's North, examines how some Northern communities are addressing this paradox. Northern employers facing a shortage of skilled workers realize that they have a competitive advantage if they can mobilize their Northern workforces.  For their part, Northern communities committed to economic development are extremely interested in creating employment opportunities for their members. 

There have been slow, yet successful gains made in developing local Northern work force capacity.  By taking a long-term, mutually beneficial approach to both community and economic development, communities and organizations are partnering to build labour force capacity.  By dedicating attention and resources to education, employability skills and job-specific skills, communities and organizations are addressing the immediate employment needs of individuals and businesses by providing the training needed to fill open vacancies.  These initiatives are also improving educational outcomes and increasing employment skills, with the long-term effect of sustainable economic and community development.

Businesses are visiting the communities in which they operate to encourage youth to graduate from high school with the courses that will aid them in finding employment or continuing with post secondary education. In the Kivalliq region of Nunavut, for example, Agnico-Eagle Mines (AEM), encourages and provides opportunities for students, teachers, and community members to visit its mine site to create a deep understanding of the actual work and living conditions at the mine.  Businesses are also filling a recognized education gap by partnering with educational institutions to offer online courses, such as Cameco Corporation's sponsorship of www.Credenda.net, to help reach students in remote northern communities.   

Poor infrastructure and remote locations, however, mean the costs of providing training can be quite expensive.  Colleges and local governments often partner and share resources to provide educational opportunities to their communities that neither could afford to provide alone.  In the Hamlet of Arviat, Nunavut, for example, the local satellite campus of Nunavut Arctic College allows the Hamlet to use classroom space for its training classes free of charge, and the Hamlet donates the use of its heavy trucks for driving licenses courses.  In the case of the Northern Manitoba Sector Council, funding is sourced at the provincial and federal levels as well as from industry partners.

Organizations and communities are providing opportunities for Northerners to obtain specific job-based skills, such as those skills required in the trades or managerial positions.  For communities and training organizations, the first step is to work with businesses to understand their needs and requirements, and then to develop courses to fit these needs.  Once Northerners are hired, formal training and career path programs are often a component of the human resources strategy.  Businesses provide career development help in the form of paid on-the-job training, bursaries and scholarships, or help with adjusting to the culture shock of being away from home.  

Although successful results have been slow to materialize, progress is being made.  Community leaders are seeing the value in investing in education and partnering with local businesses to increase labour force capacity.  Businesses require qualified workers and understand that they can gain a competitive advantage by investing in their current and future workforce.  By forming mutually beneficial partnerships, understanding each others' needs and taking a long term approach to economic and community development, businesses and communities are successfully building labour force capacity in Canada's North. 

Building Labour Force Capacity in Canada's North will be available for download from The Centre for the North's website and from The Conference Board of Canada's e-Library on November 21, 2011.