ARTICLE
Timmins, November 18, 2014—The Timmins Chamber of Commerce is encouraging local businesses to help address their workforce challenges by sharing them in a new survey from the Far Northeast Training Board (FNETB). The EmployerOne survey is designed to collect information from employers in the Cochrane, Timiskaming and Sudbury districts on a range of labour issues. This includes turnover, hard-to-fill positions, recruitment difficulties, current and future skills shortages, as well as any issues in training and education practices. The results of the survey will then be shared by the FNETB, a non-profit organization dedicated to working with community partners to identify and develop solutions to local labour market needs. It conducts the annual survey to provide valuable insights into the demand side of local labour markets so that businesses, governments, and educational institutions can properly prepare for changes and trends in the workforce. “Workforce shortages continue to be one of the biggest problems faced by our members, but it’s difficult to pinpoint and advocate for specific solutions without hard data,” said Timmins Chamber President Al Thorne. “This is why the Timmins Chamber has been such a strong advocate for reliable labour market information, and this is why we strongly recommend that businesses consider filling out the FNETB’s EmployerOne survey. Reliable data is the cornerstone of any good plan, and we applaud the FNETB for its ongoing work in seeking it out.” The Timmins Chamber’s support for this initiative comes on the heels of some its recent successes at the federal level. At the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s (CCC) annual general meeting in Charlottetown, PEI on Sept. 28-30, the Timmins Chamber successfully lobbied representatives of the country’s biggest business advocacy group to support its call for better federal collection of labour market information. Held in Charlottetown, P.E.I., the event saw nearly 500 delegates -- representing more than 200,000 Canadian businesses -- debating policies put forward by Chambers from around the country to determine the CCC’s top priorities for the coming year. Thorne was on hand to successfully lobby for Timmins Chamber members’ interests to be included among the CCC’s agenda to the federal government in the coming years. “We’re asking the federal government to strengthen its ability to collect that information, to identify where the skills gaps are at the local and regional levels, and to share that data with businesses, educators, and governments,” said Thorne. “The fact that Timmins’ policy saw such strong support is a sign of how badly this information is needed.” Timmins businesses can respond to the EmployerOne survey by Dec. 31 at http://tinyurl.com/fnetb2014 About the Timmins Chamber of Commerce With over 750 members, the Timmins Chamber of Commerce is one of the largest accredited chambers of commerce with distinction in northeastern Ontario. As the “Voice of Business in Timmins” since 1949, our advocacy and policy initiatives focus on ensuring a positive business climate in the City of Timmins. Contact: Nick Stewart Manager of Policy, Research and Communications Timmins Chamber of Commerce (705) 360-1900 policy@timminschamber.on.ca
Timmins, November 18, 2014—The Timmins Chamber of Commerce is encouraging local businesses to help address their workforce challenges by sharing them in a new survey from the Far Northeast Training Board (FNETB).
The EmployerOne survey is designed to collect information from employers in the Cochrane, Timiskaming and Sudbury districts on a range of labour issues. This includes turnover, hard-to-fill positions, recruitment difficulties, current and future skills shortages, as well as any issues in training and education practices.
The results of the survey will then be shared by the FNETB, a non-profit organization dedicated to working with community partners to identify and develop solutions to local labour market needs. It conducts the annual survey to provide valuable insights into the demand side of local labour markets so that businesses, governments, and educational institutions can properly prepare for changes and trends in the workforce.
“Workforce shortages continue to be one of the biggest problems faced by our members, but it’s difficult to pinpoint and advocate for specific solutions without hard data,” said Timmins Chamber President Al Thorne.
“This is why the Timmins Chamber has been such a strong advocate for reliable labour market information, and this is why we strongly recommend that businesses consider filling out the FNETB’s EmployerOne survey. Reliable data is the cornerstone of any good plan, and we applaud the FNETB for its ongoing work in seeking it out.”
The Timmins Chamber’s support for this initiative comes on the heels of some its recent successes at the federal level.
At the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s (CCC) annual general meeting in Charlottetown, PEI on Sept. 28-30, the Timmins Chamber successfully lobbied representatives of the country’s biggest business advocacy group to support its call for better federal collection of labour market information.
Held in Charlottetown, P.E.I., the event saw nearly 500 delegates -- representing more than 200,000 Canadian businesses -- debating policies put forward by Chambers from around the country to determine the CCC’s top priorities for the coming year. Thorne was on hand to successfully lobby for Timmins Chamber members’ interests to be included among the CCC’s agenda to the federal government in the coming years.
“We’re asking the federal government to strengthen its ability to collect that information, to identify where the skills gaps are at the local and regional levels, and to share that data with businesses, educators, and governments,” said Thorne. “The fact that Timmins’ policy saw such strong support is a sign of how badly this information is needed.”
Timmins businesses can respond to the EmployerOne survey by Dec. 31 at http://tinyurl.com/fnetb2014
About the Timmins Chamber of Commerce
With over 750 members, the Timmins Chamber of Commerce is one of the largest accredited chambers of commerce with distinction in northeastern Ontario. As the “Voice of Business in Timmins” since 1949, our advocacy and policy initiatives focus on ensuring a positive business climate in the City of Timmins.
Contact:
Nick Stewart Manager of Policy, Research and Communications Timmins Chamber of Commerce (705) 360-1900 policy@timminschamber.on.ca