The ripple effects of British Columbia’s labour shortage have been felt across the trades, where the need for new skilled workers spans every sector — from residential construction to highway and road maintenance.
With several major infrastructure projects scheduled for the years ahead, there’s never been a better time to consider a career in road building. The BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association is leveraging its role as industry advocates to raise the profile of careers in the sector, and the RoadShow is a key initiative in this effort—a mobile talent-attraction experience putting people in the driver’s seat to learn about careers in road building and highway maintenance.
A Critical Time for Recruitment in Trades
Demographically, every industry is seeing a huge wave of retirements on the horizon. Over the next few years, tens of thousands of workers will age out of the trades, and the road building and highway maintenance sector is no exception. With nearly 50,000 kilometres of highway to upkeep across B.C., the industry needs to do everything it can to attract the workers of the future, today.
The RoadShow gives potential job seekers a realistic feel for what it’s like to operate heavy machinery. Comprised of a 34 foot trailer with four state-of-the-art simulators, the interactive experience includes the opportunity to test out a snowplow, excavator, wheel loader, rock truck, and many other pieces of heavy equipment.
As the recipient of grant funding from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, the trailer began its tour in March, and has travelled from Powell River to Vanderhoof and everywhere in between. The RoadShow will continue its cross-province adventure for the next two years, visiting high schools, job fairs, trade shows, and private events on its mission to reach new demographics, with a focus on women, Indigenous communities, and other underrepresented groups.
Career Training Programs
In addition to funding initiatives like the RoadShow, the BC Road Builders foster career pathways into the sector by partnering with career training programs, like the Abbotsford School District’s Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO) program.
Quentin Ansley is one of the many success stories to have come from the program. After graduating, he was quickly hired by TYBO, a civil construction company based in Langley, and a member of the BC Road Builders. Ansley is no outlier. With an impressive 90 per cent of graduates offered job placements after completion, the program has been a huge success in its 15 years of operation.
Michael Pearson, district vice principal of the Abbotsford School District Career Programs, says the RoadShow has been well received by students and experienced operators and would like to see it become a permanent fixture in the HEO program.
“There are huge advantages to using the simulators prior to using the actual equipment,” he says. “It forms a bridge between the theoretical knowledge and helps them get a sense of what the real-life scenario is like. That makes them safer future operators.”
When it comes to using simulators in conjunction with recruitment, “There’s nothing better to get young people excited about road building as a career pathway,” he says.
Connecting Candidates with Careers
Shane O’Donnell, principal and chief operating officer at TYBO, thinks initiatives like the HEO program and the RoadShow are a great way to introduce people to an industry they might not have otherwise considered. Besides educating people about opportunities in the sector, participating in these programs can connect job seekers directly with employers, like in Ansley’s case.
Following a talk O’Donnell gave to his HEO class one day, Ansley introduced himself. “After talking for a few minutes, he handed me his resume. I could tell immediately that he had a great attitude, a strong work ethic, and was eager to get to work,” says O’Donnell. After graduating, Ansley got the chance when TYBO offered him a job as a Junior Operator.
Five months into his role, Ansley is enjoying the seat time and the rewards of seeing a day’s work on the road in front of him. Having transitioned from a simulator to operating the real equipment, he believes the RoadShow offers a valuable learning experience for those new to heavy machinery — and thinks people will get a kick out of the realistic sounds and movements of the simulators.
Matt Pitcairn is president of the BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association. Learn more about the RoadShow and find it coming to a community near you at www.bcroadshow.ca.
