b'FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENTAND ADVOCACYHow to Solve the Labour ProblemWCA recently held a strategic planning session with staff and board members. When discussing upcoming priorities for the association, there was one issue that kept coming uplabour! Short-term issue: labour availability and skill set. Medium-term issue: labour availability and skill set. Long-term issue: labour availability and skill set.Manitobas construction industry is not alone with this struggle; labour availability is an issue in other sectors in Manitoba and across Canada. Every industry in Manitoba (manufacturing, aerospace, agriculture, etc.) is competing for the same workers. The construction industry needs to be able to attract workers in a way that highlights the diversity of opportunities that exist.BuildForce Canada is estimating the Canadian construction industry will require an additional 310,000 new entrants by 2030, which is not far away. It is estimated that the business-as-usual case would lead 230,000 workers into the industry, but that leaves us 80,000 people short. This is a problem that needs to be addressed.Solving this problem will not be easy, and there is no silver bullet. A proposal in Nova Scotia was recently announced to exempt tradespeople from personal provincial income tax on their first $50k of income if they are under 30 years old. A policy like this will have ripple effects across Atlantic Canada and may even encourage some young tradespeople to leave Manitoba for the tax benefits.Within Manitoba, there are already many activities underway to raise awareness of these opportunities, such as promotional work by the Manitoba Construction Sector Council, the Winnipeg Construction Association and Manitoba Building Trades.Apprenticeship Manitoba will soon begin a three-year promotional campaign through social media to raise awareness of apprenticeship training opportunities available for youth. The campaign will also aim to dispel existing stigmas around trade careers with parents. Some research suggests that parents who are not in the construction industry actively dissuade their children from construction careersthese stigmas are often based on outdated stereotypes.Awareness work is important, but there are also some fundamentals that the industry can work on to help attract and retain people in the industry: Training FlexibilityThere needs to be flexibility in training opportunities. What worked 20 years ago may not be the bestway to train people now. There should be flexibility in training delivery, training locations and recognized credentials. Clear Career PathwaysIf people are looking to advance in their career and take on more responsibilities, the industry andemployers should be clear on what that path may look like. For example, we must be able to answer an 18-year-old labourer when they ask what they need to do to become a site supervisor.Support Labour MobilityThere is a considerable amount of work being done to harmonize trades training across Canada. This is vital to ensure that our tradespeople have consistent work opportunities and support for large projects in Manitoba.A Culture of SupportYoung people entering the industry need to feel like there is a culture of support. This can be assimple as supportive co-workers willing to assist in problem solving or through formal or informal mentoring. Senior workers need to recognize their role in supporting new entrants and take this role seriously.Labour supply is available in Manitoba, but the industry must present itself in a way that promotes these opportunities and allows people to build meaningful careers.Darryl Harrison Director, Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy10 BUILD MANITOBAwinnipegconstruction.ca'