b'Industry InclusionADDRESSING THE SKILLS CRISISBy ROB BLACKSTIENAddressing the Skills Crisis The program even has a financial expert who HammerHeadsalsohelpsaddressprovides students with useful advice about the skills crisis by giving a chance toopeningabankaccount,spendinghabits, thosewhomightotherwisenevertax-freesavingsaccountsandbuildinga have the opportunity to embark on arelationship with their bank manager. path leading to a well-paying career.Giventhatsometradeshaveminimum Thisissignificantgiventhattherequirements,HammerHeadsalsooffers N assistant manager at Shop- TheOntario Ministry of Labour recentlyacademictrainingwithtwice-weeklynight announced that the province\'s constructionschool classes to gain additional high school Nicholas Paris was stuck living paycheque tosector will need about 22,000 skilled trades- credits in math, science or English. paycheque as anpeople to replace the current aging workforce. Gaininganapprenticeshipcantakethree pers Drug Mart. Up to his neck in bills, heprogram has definitely done its part into six years, so Hammer Heads understands knew he needed a better income, so when hebringing new blood into the industry acrossthat in a mere three months it can\'t teach was told a 25-cent raise per hour was the bestall trades, graduating 524 to date, with 71 ofparticipants all the skill sets required to be a he was going to get, he decided it was timethem landing on the roster of IBEW Localgood construction worker. for a life change. 353 as electrical apprentices (see final section,"But what we do teach is the foundation of Compounding things, Paris\' father was work- "IBEW Local 353 Success Stories").being a good worker," Truong says.ing nonstop to try to make ends meet andOf utmost importance to Hammer Heads,And it doesn\'t end there.his mother was also juggling having a job andexplains Program Manager Quoc Truong, is raising three kids. Paris was at a loss for howthe effort to recruit workers that represent theA True Support Networkto help alleviate some of that pressure withdiversity of the GTA.his job situation at the time. "Our program should reflect the look of theUpon completion of the program, Hammer A friend told him about a program that couldcity," he says. Heads will get its graduates into one of its help him get a career in a skilled trade, andaffiliatedunions,andoncetheparticipant given Paris\' interest in electrical, he thoughtHammerHeadsismorethansimplyagets a job, a program staff member will take it was worth a shot. 12-week program that readies young peoplethe individual to work on their first day and for apprenticeships in the trades; its higherintroduce them to the foreman. Truong says While he was skeptical about the program\'svalueisinarmingitsparticipantswithahe\'ll stress to the foreman that if anything ability to help him, "they actually changedtremendous wealth of life skills. happensshouldtheworkermessupor my whole perspective." Trongexplainsthattheprogramteachesbe lateto talk to Hammer Heads first to Launched in 2009 by the Central Ontarioparticipantstowalkwithapurpose,talkhelp fix the issue instead of laying them off BuildingTrades,HammerHeadsisaproperly and maintain eye contactsoft skillsright away.bootcamp-style skill and employment-basedhe says he never knew he needed, but provedThat support continues as Hammer Heads training program that\'s mandate is to offerlife-changing.Learningtheimportanceofwill visit the jobsite twice during the first construction-relatedapprenticeshipcareerbeing punctual and dependable while havingweek, weekly for the first month, monthly opportunities to young people from under- a good attitude are also qualities ingrained byforthefirstyearandthenadditional resourced neighbourhoods.Hammer Heads. follow-ups afterwards.www.ecao.org14'