the CanadaVisa Team - 22 July, 2015
The construction sector in Western Canada has been plagued by a shortage of skilled tradespeople for some time. Electricians, carpenters, steam fitters, pipe fitters, and sheet metal workers are among the jobs where the demand is greatest, according to the Construction Sector Council.
Skilled workers from abroad are becoming an increasingly important labour source for the sector; and industry groups are responding by setting up programs to recruit landed immigrants with compatible skills.
The British Columbia (BC) Construction Association launched an initiative called “Immigrant Skilled Trades Employment Program” two years ago. Since then, it has placed about 600 new immigrants, typically with an engineering background, into various positions in construction, such as technicians and project managers.
Engineers need to have their internationally-obtained credentials assessed and verified before they can begin working in their fields in Canada; but they can start working in these positions fairly quickly.
“We take the skills the engineer brings and unpack,” says Paul Mitchell, program director of the BC Construction Association. “We don’t advocate for individuals to stand on the sidelines and wait to get their credentials recognized. We get them engaged in work (and) it makes the credential recognition piece a little easier while you’re working.”
Participants earn good wages and can move up into middle management roles fairly quickly.
Industry stakeholders and trade schools are working together to help train new immigrants to transition into these construction jobs.
