Lloydminster has the particularity of straddling between Alberta and Saskatchewan. You literally can change provinces by crossing a street.

So it’s no surprise that Ron Kelly has been looking at both provinces’ programs to find subsidies to train two existing employees so they could get their Class 1 licence and perform broader functions at Border City Concrete (BCC), the excavation, aggregate and concrete delivery company he manages there.

In the end, he found the solution through Trucking HR Canada’s Career ExpressWay program, which offers up to $10,000 per person to get their Class 1 licence training.

“With the federal program, it was only one party, and I could do multiple things with it,” Kelly says.

The first employee who obtained the professional driver training was an equipment operator. Now that he has his Class 1, he doesn’t need a colleague to move his equipment around anymore and he can also haul gravel. “It opened up a lot of opportunities for him,” Kelly says.

The other had a Class 3 licence before the Career ExpressWay experience, which allowed him to do some trucking jobs. “But he was missing out on a lot of the long hauls and the bigger jobs because he didn’t have his Class 1,” Kelly notes.

“These are individuals who couldn’t afford it on their own. Having the subsidy really helped have these two individuals more engaged within the company and for the company to be more successful, for sure,” he says, underlining that Trucking HR Canada’s subsidies covered 100% of the training fees.

Kelly mentioned that Career ExpressWay has allowed him to do “multiple things”, referring to the fact that, in addition to the two drivers’ training, he hired an apprentice mechanic by using the Employer Wage Support for Youth program, which paid the first $10,000 of the young man’s wages.

“Times are a little different right now than they were maybe five or six years ago. Everyone’s watching their pennies and their cents. So hire a new guy and train him for a brand new role and get some help right off the bat to get him going until they can do more work on their own is really nice,” Kelly says about Trucking HR Canada’s financial support.

And managing the program was pretty simple for BCC. “Dealing with Trucking HR Canada I found was very easy; they responded quickly and they are courteous. They helped me through things when I had questions and we got things done pretty quick,” Kelly says.

Young and willing to work

20 year-old Nicholas Wenger is the apprentice mechanic BCC hired for its Paradise Hill (SK) Hardy Services division. Nicholas’ dad, Leon, has been a truck driver for as long as he can remember, so he was exposed to trucking at an early age.

Yet, his real passion is mechanics and there’s plenty for him to do at BCC since construction applications can be hard on trucks and heavy machinery. He enjoys the variety of tasks he’s performing. “They’re really good in getting me to all sorts of jobs and getting me familiar with as many things as possible,” Wenger says about his employer.

Wenger is eager to make a career in the trucking and logistics sector. “I’m really enjoying it so far. I can see myself going along this route for years to come, for sure,” he says.

That’s certainly music to Kelly’s ears. “Getting the additional new hire wage support subsidy helps to offset some of the training costs. It gives us the opportunity to hire local, to hire someone who’s young, keen, willing to work, willing to learn and to grow within our company,” he says.

Kelly adds that he’s pleased by young workers on different aspects, including their ease with technology. “Things are getting to be more digital and that helps out through the company when you start to use more application programs for safety, pre-trips or time sheets. It’s nice to have that younger workforce to guide some of the more senior guys,” he says, insisting on the importance of building partnerships with young workers.

Not only would Kelly repeat the Career ExpressWay experience, he’s spreading the word about it to other companies. “I’ve recommended it because I thought it was a good way to get younger involvement and to help companies with some of their staffing shortages. It’s a great program,” he concludes.

To learn more about the wage subsidy and subsidized driver training programs, and how you too can benefit from this opportunity, please visit THRC Career Expressway or e-mail [email protected].

Janine Welch doesn’t miss a single issue of Trucking HR Canada’s e-bulletin called « HR Insights ». That’s actually how the human resources manager at Emterra Group learned about the organization’s Career ExpressWay initiative and the different wage subsidy programs available.

The Canada-wide waste and recycling company has now hired over 15 new workers with the support of wage and new driver training subsidies available through the program. « We also use the program for different logistics positions, » Welch says to illustrate that, in addition to drivers and the people loading the refuse trucks, the Career Expressway contributed to the successful hiring of staff for roles in multiple departments such as mechanics and mechanic apprentices, dispatchers, operations specialists and marketing & communications experts to name a few.

Evaluating a candidates’ eligibility for the financial support brought by these Trucking HR Canada programs « up to $10,000 in wage subsidy for a worker aged 30 and under; up to $10,000 to pay the training fees of a new truck driver » has become second nature at the fleet. « As we hire people through our recruitment process, if a potential worker meets the hiring criteria, we submit their name to the program for approval, » Welch says.

With recycling being at the heart of Emterra?s mission, the money saved with Career ExpressWay is reused to find even more new talent. « The financial support is very helpful. It allows us an opportunity to consider and explore different recruitment and attraction strategies. The subsidy offers a fantastic opportunity for young workers to enter the industry and allows Emterra the financial flexibility to hire and train more employees, » says the HR expert who cherishes the concepts of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Besides, the process is seamless. « It was very easy to navigate, and the turnaround time for processing a claim is minimal, » Welch says.

Getting access to young workers represents a considerable value in itself, according to the Emterra Group’s spokesperson. « The shifting demographics make it even more important to attract and retain a young workforce, the wage and the training subsidy programs are very important for companies like Emterra to take advantage of, » she says.

« Young workers bring new ideas and perspectives. They’re always confident to share their ideas and provide feedback. They have a natural attraction and understanding of technology, and a strong desire to make a positive impact in the world. These traits are beneficial in supporting Emterra?s mission of enabling people and businesses to become stewards of the environment. »

Curbside appeal

At 28 years old, Kyle McGlynn-Bye already has several years of experience in the waste and recycling business. He used to be the one running behind the refuse truck to load it. Now he’s the one behind the wheel, as Career ExpressWay funded the training that led him to get his Class 1 licence.

« My dad has been involved with recycling and garbage collection since he and my mom got together, so I’ve been around trucks my whole life, » says the young man from Peterborough, Ontario. But he’s still learning every day, building on his past experience, which gave him an edge as a driver. « I already knew what the job involved. There?s always more to learn, though, with doing this job because there are always new houses, new roads. There’s always something that can make things change in a moment, » he says.

Driving a refuse truck is certainly a unique kind of trucking that requires special skills. It’s a constant stop-and-go and the driver needs to stay focused at all times in case someone pulls out in front of his vehicle. There’s also the challenge of navigating in narrow streets with cars parked on both sides, a situation that gets even worse in wintertime.

Nonetheless, it’s still trucking, a heavily regulated industry. « I didn’t really realize how many rules and regulations there actually were for bigger commercial vehicles than there are for cars. There’s a lot more that you need to pay attention to,? McGlynn-Bye says, referring to what he learned during his subsidized driver training.

« It’s not always easy, but I work with a great group of guys, » McGlynn-Bye summarizes about his new career as a truck driver.

And thanks to Trucking HR Canada?s Career ExpressWay, that group could very well expand soon, according to Janine Welch. « It’s really an excellent program. It’s got lots of opportunities for those young people to get into the trucking and logistics sector. Emterra has been really pleased to be part of the program and we do look forward to continuing our support and participation, » she concludes.

To learn more about the wage subsidy and subsidized driver training programs, and how you too can benefit from this opportunity, please visit THRC Career Expressway or e-mail [email protected].

Camille Pitt is a senior human resources advisor for Groupe Guilbault, a large fleet headquartered in Quebec City. Guilbault being one of Trucking HR Canada’s (THRC) Top Fleet Employers, she takes a keen interest in the organization’s activities.

That’s how she found out about the Career ExpressWay initiative. « I saw that there was a wage subsidy that could apply to us, » Pitt says about the program that provides financial support for hiring people under the age of 30 into various positions in the trucking industry.

In Guilbault’s case, this program has helped recruit seven forklift operators and truck drivers. « For example, when we hired a forklift operator, the first $15,000 he received was reimbursed by Trucking HR Canada, » she explains.

One of the goals of the subsidy program is to improve the employment conditions of young workers. « It was either to help someone who was unemployed get back to work or to improve their salary conditions a little bit, » Pitt says, adding that the program was hassle-free to manage.

« Signing up was very, very easy. I filled out a form, talked to the people at THRC, they explained everything to me and I was enrolled. We were reimbursed every month; it was a very simple process. »

The fact that the wage subsidy program applies to all industry occupations, not just drivers, is very appropriate according to the human resources professional at Guilbault.

« There is a labour shortage in all trades, » she says, adding that when a candidate shows interest in a company, you have to be very proactive not to lose them. « When someone applies at 8:15 in the morning, if they’re called at 1:30 in the afternoon they’ve already been contacted by four or five companies. It goes really fast, » she says.

25-year old Davin Larin was hired as a truck driver through the THRC program. He now has a Class 1 driver’s license after successfully completing his training at the Charlesbourg CFTC training centre. After initially being paired with an experienced driver for training, he now does a lot of local deliveries to Guilbault customers near the Quebec City terminal.

David was exposed to the industry at a young age as his father, Benoit, has been a truck driver himself for 20 years. He even took him on a trip to Maine when he was a child.

Field experience

Yet, being in the passenger seat or in professional training is no substitute for on-the-job experience, David admits, citing reversing maneuvers, which are common in local transportation. « You do a lot more backing up on the job than you did in school, » he says.

That’s the kind of thing Pitt is referring to when she talks about being patient with younger employees, and it pays big dividends, she says.

« We can really shape them to our corporate culture; they don’t have bad habits yet. Sometimes, it’s easier to train someone who is more junior than someone who has 25 years of experience at another company because there’s nothing to undo. You just have to build, » she says.

Given the opportunity, young people hired through the Career Express Way programs can also contribute to the evolution of their company. For example, it was David’s suggestion to the health and safety manager that a checklist for hazardous materials hauling be placed in the tablets used by drivers, a suggestion that was adopted and put into practice.

The young man envisions a career in the industry, as a truck driver or perhaps even a dispatcher. « If I can advance, I will, » he says of his eventual progression within the company.

Offering young people a career path is one of the benefits that Guilbault’s senior human resources advisor sees in THRC’s wage subsidy programs.

And not just for drivers. « Forklift operators can become team leaders and eventually foremen, or they can move into office positions, » says Pitt, giving the example of the route planner occupation.

Beyond the financial support, she says the Career ExpressWay program facilitates access to a pool of younger workers, a valuable asset in an industry with an ageing workforce.

« In terms of drivers and forklift operators, it’s really the next generation that we see. If we had to do without young people, we really wouldn’t have enough employees, » she says, noting that she also sees retention benefits in hiring young workers.

« Young people often learn and adapt more easily. They have a desire to do well and improve. They’re also often more loyal to their employer because they’ve been given their first chance, trained and everything. And they’re often more comfortable with technology, » Pitt observes.

When she looks at the industry around her, she notices that the Career ExpressWay programs have created a buzz. « It’s been a pretty popular grant, » Pitt says.

One thing is for sure, Groupe Guilbault plans to continue to take advantage of the programs offered through THRC’s Career ExpressWay. « We intend to do the wage subsidy program again to hire young workers. We’re definitely going to go ahead with this one, » says the human resources professional.

Especially that « Hiring young people with little or no experience requires the cooperation of co-workers, trainers and supervisors, » Pitt says about the sense of belonging being reinforced through team work.

That’s one of the goals of Trucking HR Canada’s Career ExpressWay programs.

To learn more about the Employer Wage Support for Youth program, and how you too can benefit from this opportunity, please visit THRC Career Expressway or e-mail [email protected].

Every sector in Canada’s economy is looking to attract and grow its labour force, which means students and young workers have lots of career choices at a pivotal time in their lives.

Amid this intense competition for talent, our industry is well-positioned to take advantage of public awareness around the importance of trucking and logistics to the economy and to leverage our labour force data which provides insight into the wide range of opportunities for young workers in our industry.

Trucking HR Canada’s labour market information shows that drivers account for 43% of the sector’s 733,000 workers, meaning we have another 57% representing all other occupations. Dispatchers, logistics coordinators, office administrators, warehouse workers, human resources, diesel technicians, accountants, the list goes on, and all are needed to keep goods moving.

Additionally, 46% of employers in trucking and logistics expect recruiting for non-driving occupations to be a challenge in the future.

Engaging the next generation

Employers looking to engage with the next generation of workers now have financial incentives that can help.

With more than 100 employers already enrolled, our Career ExpressWay program has become a popular way to attract young workers to our industry. It connects students with employers who can offer experience and a meaningful wage.

While there is a bit of administrative work to get set up, employers tell us that once they’re in and ready to go, the program runs smoothly. Many employers who start with one or two students quickly look to bring on even more.

Help, not hype

For starters, Career ExpressWay currently pays up to 75% of the student’s wage up to $7,500. Any full-time or part-time job that supports truck transportation is eligible, including special projects, co-ops and internships.

Post-secondary programs are seeing the benefits of what they call work-integrated learning,? where students gain experience in their field of study and can develop the soft skills needed to succeed in the workplace.

Career Expressway is a win-win-win, really. Employers get access to a pipeline of new talent; students learn about trucking and logistics while getting paid; and the industry as a whole benefits from a growing pool of interested workers.

Lets take a look at what some of our employers say about the program:

• Students bring fresh ideas, perspectives, and new approaches to business challenges.
• Being able to test drive a student or new grad before hiring lowers our recruitment and onboarding costs.
• We have been bringing on students through co-ops and internships and are happy to be able to benefit from the financial incentive offered (with some able to access the funds even if these placements were finished).
• We have brought on students to help implement special projects/new initiatives with the labour costs almost fully covered.
• Partnering with specific post-secondary programs like logistics and supply chain management is a strategic focus of our recruitment efforts. Trucking HR Canada’s Career ExpressWay is now a part of this plan.
• Sometimes it’s easier to train someone who is more junior than someone who has 25 years of experience at another company because there’s nothing to undo ».
• Hiring young workers enables us to shape them (new recruits) to our corporate culture; they don’t have bad habits yet.

Trucking and logistics employers talk a lot about how to showcase the many non-driving careers in our industry and make them more attractive through competitive compensation.

Career ExpressWay may be a solution that fits with your operations, too.

We are partnering with schools and other programs to help connect students with employers in our sector. If recruiting young talent is a priority for your business, and you’re interested in a way to help pay for it, reach out to us today. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

In trucking, a successful game plan for recruiting and retention includes coaching. A great coach can get the best performance out of an individual or team by providing just the right mix of guidance, instruction, and support.

Many of our Top Fleet Employers have seen the benefits of coaching programs first-hand, including higher employee retention, better workplace morale, and positive impacts on safety.

With COVID-19 presenting new challenges and changes to our workplaces, a coach or mentor can focus on ways to connect with employees who may be feeling isolated or unmotivated.

With leaner budgets, and in some cases leaner teams, having a coach can be a cost-effective way to improve morale, increase productivity, and support overall employee well-being.

Let?s take a look:

Adapting your approach

Traditionally designed to help achieve organizational goals, we?re seeing a shift in coaching to focus on the employee and their overall performance and success.

Being a coach or mentor is different from being a manager who assigns tasks and monitors the work. Coaching is simply the act of listening, asking questions, and providing feedback so employees can be their personal best. Although coaches can be external to the organization, you can look to current staff to act as coaches as well.

Coaching tends to focus on performance and short-term skills, but a coach can also be an invaluable guide for employees who are dealing with changes that may be out of their control.

Support on-boarding

Coaching is often part of an effective on-boarding process. Experienced employees, for example, can spend time with new hires and personally answer questions about company practices, safety procedures, and more.

Virtual work arrangements mean more challenges for new hires. On-boarding procedures haven?t changed much, but the experience certainly has.

First impressions matter. How you welcome new employees and bring them into your company has an enormous impact on how engaged they are and how quickly they reach their full potential and productivity.

Incorporating coaches and mentors in the onboarding process will help.

Coaching your coaches

All roles are changing as the effects of the pandemic continue. Your managers and senior executives need to be equipped with the skills needed to perform at their best, too.

This may require providing professional development to your current managers to ensure they have the knowledge and comfort level with addressing these new challenges we are facing.

Investing in your employees is always a good thing to do. As we cope with COVID-19, it is becoming simply the right thing to do if we want our teams and teammates to perform their best.

HOW WORLD SKILLS CAN HELP YOUR FLEET

Before the Covid-19 pandemic started, the trucking industry was already experiencing severe shortages of talent for their trucking positions and as much as 61% of trucking industry employers admitted to having trouble filling these types of positions in a span of the last 12 months.?? Increasing the consideration of newcomers to Canada for these positions can help employers alleviate the vacancies for these roles. In the province of Ontario alone, newcomers/immigrants make up to almost 23% of the population and over 340,000 immigrants are expected to immigrate to Canada in 2020 alone.

Many employers such as the Federal Government, the City of Ottawa, TD Canada, RBC, COSTCO, Accenture, Business Development Canada etc. are tapping into this talent pool — adding global perspectives and experience to their workforce. Best of all, they find incredibly talented individuals who have an excellent understanding of the Canadian workplace and who are loyal to their employer. We have the largest pool of pre-screened newcomer talent in Ottawa who want to pursue truck driving as their career. ?There are programs available to employers (conditions apply) that could help alleviate some of the costs associated with getting a new employee licensed and support for onboarding costs.

Looking for a solution?

World Skills, a non profit employment centre in Ottawa, has been a leader in enhancing newcomers? economic integration into the Canadian economy for over 20 years. The centre helps immigrants incorporate into the workforce through employability assessments, employment competency building, job search training and support, cultural competency building, and language training.

To find out how to access these initiatives contact Theodros Haile

[email protected]