Backgrounder 03-09-2002

Backgrounder

Sector councils help ensure that workers and those seeking employment are well prepared for the challenges of the rapidly evolving labour market.

Sector councils are a proven method of meeting emerging skills requirements, addressing skills and labour shortages, and building essential skills in the workplace—the foundation for continuous learning.

The Regional Marketing and Communication project will help the NSSC to expand the role of its current coordinator network, which promotes the NSSC and its Labour Marketing Information and human resources development products to the seafood processing industry.  The network also functions as a feedback mechanism, allowing information related to industry needs and concerns to flow back to the NSSC.  ($320,000)

The Essential Skills project will provide first-line supervisors with an essential skills assessment tool, to help identify and improve the skills of its workforce. Essential Skills are the cornerstone of life long learning – they are the foundation skills on which any further learning is built.   Human Resources and Skills Development Canada as well as other national and international agencies have identified and validated the following 9 Essential Skills; document use, numeracy, writing, oral communication, working with others, computer use, continuous learning, and thinking skills.  ($193,750)

The Occupational Standards project will allow the NSSC to update and revise key national occupational standards and learning materials that were originally created in 1997/1998.  Key industry partners identified that updating the standards is critical to maintaining the skills sets of its workforce.  The updated tools will allow employees to maintain current skills and knowledge, enhancing performance and productivity. ($131,430)

The Ergonomics Project will improve the industry’s access to ergonomic information, and will help reduce the incidence and severity of disability throughout the industry.  This, in turn, will improve the hiring and retention of employees, as they learn the tools and follow national standards for effective prevention and management of workplace injuries, creating a safer workplace. ($80,000)

These projects respond to specific issues in the seafood industry. Through their implementation, workers will have the necessary skill enhancing tools to increase communications, health, and safety, which will, in turn, increase the industry’s competitiveness in the global market.