Current issue Newswire
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Best practices examined for high school transition to apprenticeship |
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Written by Workplace Staff
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Tuesday, 18 May 2010 |
In February 2010, Canadian Apprenticeship Forum - Forum canadien sur l'apprentissage (CAF-FCA) hosted the High School to Apprenticeship Transition in Canada forum. Participants included jurisdictional officials who administer high school to apprenticeship transition programs, school to work transition coordinators and other key apprenticeship stakeholders from across Canada. Objectives of the forum were to share program strengths and lessons learned and to identify areas for enhancing the transition from high school to apprenticeship. This report is based on findings from the discussions that took place.
According to the 2007 National Apprenticeship Survey, over seven per cent of apprentices participated in a youth apprenticeship program before leaving high school. Apprentices in underrepresented groups (women, visible minorities, apprentices with disabilities and Aboriginals) are more likely to participate in these programs than others.
Studies completed earlier by CAF-FCA also suggest that only a small percentage of apprentices enter full-time postsecondary apprenticeship programs through high school to apprenticeship transition programs. Yet research from the Canadian Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) Council shows that apprentices who take part in some form of pre-apprenticeship training, including high school to apprenticeship transition programs, are more likely than those without such training to complete their apprenticeship.
Key findings include the need to:
- Communicate the benefits of participating in transition programs
- Recognize learner achievements
- Get buy-in from key players
Participants also recommended the following:
- Host information sessions for parents on post-secondary options for
youth
- Validate learners' progress in apprenticeship transition programs by
offering certificates, passport programs, apprenticeship awards and
other incentives
- Enhance the performance of high school to apprenticeship transition
programs by increasing flexibility and adaptability.
To read the entire report and learn how you may play a role in this initiative, visit www.caf-fca.org/en/activities/pdf/apprenticeship_transition_en.pdf.
Funded by the Government of Canada's Sector Council Program, CAF-FCA is the only inclusive national body that brings together all players in apprenticeship training. CAF-FCA works under the guidance of its Board of Directors, who represent every aspect of the apprenticeship community. Our work has brought to light a number of key issues that affect apprenticeship training - such as perceived barriers to training; the business case for apprenticeship; and the importance of promoting apprenticeship training as a valued and respected choice for post-secondary education. For further information, visit www.caf-fca.org.
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Employees feel unprepared for pressure caused by heavier workloads |
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Written by Workplace Staff
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Thursday, 13 May 2010 |
Seventy-nine percent of employees report that their workloads increased as a result of layoffs at their company and as many as 57 per cent believe workloads have grown “a lot,” according to a survey by Right Management, the talent and career management expert within Manpower.
“Employees are likely feeling the pressure of more streamlined operations, increasing demands, and tighter competition,” said Dr. Henryk Krajewski, vice president and national practice leader at Right Management in Canada.
Among key findings:
- Employees at large organizations are under the greatest pressure, with 68 per cent saying their workloads have increased “a lot” compared to only 33 per cent at small organizations.
- Younger vs. older workers are experiencing the greatest workload increases, with 60 per cent of workers 25-34 reporting their workloads have increased “a lot” followed by 59 per cent of those 18-24.
In terms of understanding the consequences of the results, Dr. Krajewski says, “…most employees, from all industries and company sizes, have been asked to step up and make a greater contribution. Without appropriate support from management, many will feel unprepared and ill equipped to handle more responsibility.”
Krajewski says management pay attention to these new realities. “Management must acknowledge increased workloads and commit to employee development and opportunity during tough times. For those who are being asked to step up, give them a sense of choice, and ownership in the direction moving forward to enhance satisfaction and commitment. It’s been shown pretty clearly that firms that commit to these types of initiatives will be in a much stronger competitive position as the market improves.”
Krajewski advises workers to stay flexible during times of change, as well as to ask questions and get the direction and guidance they need. At the same time, managers need to clarify expectations. “If the organization is operating in an environment where there isn’t any budget for additional resources, employees need to know up front. Don’t shy away from the reality. Be open and honest, but help to equip employees with the information and resources to manage their expanded responsibilities,” he notes.
Krajewski provides four tips to help employees handle increased workloads:
- Prioritize projects and tasks in alignment with your manager’s priorities.
- Clarify new expectations and your specific role in the organization’s success.
- Ask to develop new skills and capabilities
- Keep focused on business impact, evaluating all new responsibilities in the context of whether or not they will positively impact the business in the desired timeframe.
Any change that significantly impacts an employee’s workload needs to be carefully communicated, advises Krajewski. “Open communication will go a long way in ensuring all parties deliver on the new expectations. Expanded or new roles need to be outlined so employees know how they contribute to the success of the firm. Communication between managers and employees should be at heightened levels.”
Right Management surveyed 845 individuals via an online poll on LinkedIn® conducted between March 11 and March 30, 2010.
Right Management is the talent and career management expert within Manpower, the global leader in employment services. For more information, visit www.right.com/ca.
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Retirees commence class action against General Motors of Canada |
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Written by Workplace Staff
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Thursday, 13 May 2010 |
A class action filed on behalf of more than 3,500 retirees against General Motors of Canada Limited claims that, over the last two years, the automaker has unilaterally slashed the post-retirement benefits it provides to its former white collar workers.
Joseph O'Neill worked for GM for almost 40 years. He is the representative plaintiff in the lawsuit that was served on GM on May 6, 2010. O'Neill is asking the court to order GM to provide its retirees with the post-retirement benefits the automaker promised to all of its salaried and executive employees.
"Retirees depend on the drug plans, extended healthcare benefits and the life insurance that GM promised it would provide," O'Neill says. "These benefits were promised to us over the course of our long careers at GM. We can't go back today and demand higher salaries for the work we did over the years. It isn't fair for GM to come now and take away the benefits that we have earned in years gone by."
O'Neill is the Communications Director of the GENMO Salaried Pension Organization, which is dedicated to promoting the protection of the pensions, benefits and other common interests of General Motors of Canada Limited salaried pension plan members. The group represents more than 3,500 white collar retired GM employees.
In 2007, and again in 2009, GM announced that many of the post-retirement benefits which it had agreed to provide for its retired salaried and executive employees would be reduced or eliminated. The retirees group alleges that reducing and eliminating the benefits was unlawful.
A copy of the statement of claim for the class action is at www.genmo.ca. |
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Required Reading: Learn to communicate like a leader |
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Written by Laurie Blake
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Monday, 03 May 2010 |
How Leaders Speak: Essential Rules for Engaging and Inspiring Others
By Jim Gray
Dundurn Press; $19.99 (CAN)
 “The ability to speak convincingly to others – to compel them – has to rank as one of the most important skills in business and life,” says author Jim Gray. In his new book, author and professional communications skills coach Gray offers readers clear and concise directions on how to present themselves and their material in the most effective manner possible.
Gray says there are five keys to speaking like a leader:
1. Preparation
2. Certainty
3. Passion
4. Engagement
5. Commitment
To read more about these keys, or to order the book, visit http://dundurn.com/books/how_leaders_speak.
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Global survey shows HR moving to SaaS applications to meet business challenges |
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| HR executives want ‘service’ put back into SaaS |
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Written by Workplace Staff
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Monday, 03 May 2010 |
According to the results of a recent survey of more than 200 human resource (HR) executives, HR is quickly moving to SaaS and “cloud-based” solutions to meet their key business challenges and as a means of closing the effectiveness gaps that currently exist between HR priorities and HR systems. Survey results also revealed that executives view support and implementation costs as the most important business considerations when selecting a SaaS or Cloud-based solution provider, underscoring their desire to see a larger focus on ‘services’ with SaaS solutions.
(For those less techy: Some define cloud computing narrowly as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the internet. Others define it more broadly, arguing anything you consume outside the firewall is "in the cloud," including conventional outsourcing. SaaS means “software as a service.”)
“It is clear from this research that HR is broadly adopting SaaS solutions to help them meet their business objectives,” says Jeff Kristick, senior vice president of marketing at Plateau, a provider of enterprise-class SaaS talent management suites. “It is equally clear that not all SaaS solutions and vendors are created equal. We partnered with Saugatuck Technology to explore these issues, and found that not only is HR headed to the cloud, but also that, importantly, HR executives identify ‘Service’ – a component they find to be lacking in many SaaS HR solutions – as the most important consideration when evaluating SaaS solutions.”
The survey was conducted between January and February 2010, and included 226 HR and IT executives and professionals. Seventy per cent of survey respondents were employed by companies with more than 5,000 employees, with 35 per cent of respondents reporting that they worked for companies with more than 10,000 employees. More than 65 per cent of survey respondents were based in the United States, 17 per cent were from continental Europe, and the remainder were from Asia.
According to survey data, respondents believe the following business challenges will have the greatest impact on their organization’s human resources organization over the next two years: organizational change and transformation; addressing the skills gap; reducing overall labour costs; and leveraging technology to improve business performance. Unfortunately, survey data revealed that HR executives believe their current HR systems are falling short of helping them meet those goals, resulting in a significant “effectiveness gap” between HR priorities and the abilities of existing HR systems. The survey showed that the largest effectiveness gaps exist among the most important HR priorities, including those related to acquiring and retaining key talent (effectiveness gap of 26 per cent), managing talent (effectiveness gap of 28 per cent), and performance (effectiveness gap of 29 per cent).
Survey results clearly indicated that Cloud-based solutions – including SaaS – are seen as a means of helping to bridge the effectiveness gaps and improve HR professionals’ ability to manage their key responsibilities. According to the survey, nearly 40 per cent of executives surveyed indicate plans to implement SaaS for one or more core HR systems between now and the end of 2011, with nearly 50 percent planning to have SaaS-based, core HR administration applications in place by the end of 2012.
Other key findings from the survey included:
- ‘Service’ needs to be put back into SaaS: Support (39 per cent) and implementation costs (33 per cent) are the most important business considerations in selecting a SaaS/Cloud-based solution provider.
- Top Business Benefits of SaaS: Reducing costs (40 per cent) and simplifying software management (32 per cent) are the top business benefits expected by users of SaaS and Cloud-based solutions.
- Top Concerns: Data security and privacy concerns (48 per cent) are the core concern of users regarding SaaS and Cloud-based solutions.
As part of the findings from this survey, Saugatuck researchers have prepared a report titled, “HR SaaS Solutions for Better Business: A Selection Guide.” The guide includes key criteria for selecting SaaS solutions, including the basic abilities a provider must be able to demonstrate to guarantee SaaS success, such as the ability to simplify software management, adapt to organizational change, and integrate with existing systems. The guide also highlights the importance of carefully evaluating the “Service” component of Software-as-a-Service in terms of implementation support, commitment to customer success, solution provider experience, and track record with customers. The guide is available for download at www.plateau.com.
For more information about the survey results, visit SaaS survey results (http://info.plateau.com/OLASaugatuckSaaSregistration.html). For more information about Plateau, visit www.plateau.com.
Saugatuck Technology Inc. provides subscription research and management consulting services focused on the key market trends and disruptive technologies driving change in enterprise IT, including SaaS, cloud infrastructure, open source, outsourcing and enterprise social computing. For more information, please visit www.saugatech.com.
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