Want a stable career with great pay?
Look no further than manufacturing – the engine that drives our economy. People who work in manufacturing use science, technology, engineering and math (or STEM) to solve problems and create products, while making great money.
Manufacturers and skilled trades in Ottawa and across Eastern Ontario need fresh talent. Jobseekers of all ages and backgrounds want the labour market insight to guide and inform their career choices.
Ottawa Employment Hub is the place where business, community partners and jobseekers connect to bridge the skills gap and broaden the search for talent in the National Capital Region. The Hub is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.
Three reasons to think outside the big city box
As a recent grad you’re expected to find a good job and settle down. But you’re also probably feeling a little adventurous and rebellious, too. Many grads feel the natural urge to choose a new path for themselves and might be eyeing the big city as the place to do it. But rent and housing prices in urban centres such as Toronto continue to skyrocket as commute times get longer and longer, making your adventurous aspirations difficult. Here’s what we mean:
$1,492/month: The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the GTA.
$1,283,981: The average selling price of a detached home in Toronto’s 416 area code.
1 in 4: The number of people in Toronto and Montreal who face a commute of 45 minutes or more.
Avoid the high cost of living in big cities
Rebel against the accepted norms of life in a major city. Don’t spend your time commuting and dreaming of the house you wish you could afford. Instead, find a job in eastern Ontario with the region’s more reasonable cost of living. You can work in exciting tech-centric professions, such as robotics, computing, fabricating and engineering while putting your salary towards the life and hobbies of your dreams.
You still have access to big-city convenience, as well as plenty of outdoor space for adventures with resources
such as:
1000s of shops, restaurants, and businesses
9 post-secondary institutions
15 provincial parks
How to attract the next generation to manufacturing
The biggest problem manufacturers face in coming years is attracting a new generation of talent to the industry. The solution is to meet the next generation where they are: social media and school.
Consider hosting a student participating in a local secondary or post-secondary school’s co-op program to show young job seekers the options in manufacturing
Take to social media and proudly display:
The value of manufacturing work
Your company’s culture
Profiles of employees and their daily tasks
Leverage Instagram to connect with future employees
Take a page from the Machining Center’s (@themachiningcenter) playbook and use social media to attract the talent you want to work with. The eastern Ontario company used social media, specifically Instagram, to share their company culture. In doing so, not only has TMC hired talent through connections made via Instagram, but TMC also attracted the top two students from the industry program at Loyalist College.
A plan for the future of manufacturing
The manufacturing industry is a pillar of the eastern Ontario economy, employing more than 65,000 skilled workers in the region. As the Baby Boomer generation leaves the workforce and technology, AI and automation change the landscape of work, strategies and planning must be put in place to address predicted workforce shortages in the industry.
The Eastern Ontario Manufacturing Workforce Development Project (EOMWDP) was created to address these challenges. To maximize the available pool of skilled workers, the goals of the EOMWDP are to:
Predict and address labour shortages;
Promote education and training in the region that supports jobs in manufacturing;
Educate youth and parents about the high-tech careers in manufacturing;
Showcase the excellent quality of life in eastern Ontario for employees;
Empower business owners and managers with strategies to attract top talent; and
Maximize the positive perception of manufacturing.
Find out what’s possible for your manufacturing business
If you’re looking to improve your industry, workforce attraction strategy or training platforms, you can find the EOMWDP online at blog.ontarioeast.ca or contact us at workforcedevelopment@ontarioeast.ca.