OMOA LONG RANGE SKILLS COMMITTEE REPORT
OVERVIEW
The Board of Directors of the Ontario Marine Operators Association (OMOA) identified a serious problem facing the recreational marine industry relating to the availability of skilled workers in the future.
The Board of Directors of the OMOA has established a committee of stakeholders, including marine industry experts and educators, to develop a long-range plan to deal with the future skills shortages issue.
The committee consists of the following individuals representing their companies:
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Ken MacDonald - Bay Port Yachting Centre
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Gary Coleman - Mercury Marine
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Bob Emptage – Georgian College
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Jeff Stovold – Lefroy Harbour Resorts Inc.
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John Shedden – Volvo Marine
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Warren Howes – Georgian College
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Mike McKeown - Beacon Bay Marina
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Rob Bradley – Yamaha
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Rick Corbett – Georgian College
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Deborah Paris - Paris Marine Ltd
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Mike Rankin – Suzuki Marine
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Warren Mills – Fleming College
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Shane Serra – Hot Knots Landing
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Al Sturch - BRP
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Rick Chang – CC Marine Distributors
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Rob Hudson – Land’N’Sea
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Rob Barkley – CMC Electronics
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Al Donaldson – OMOA
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Robert Eaton - OMOA
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INDUSTRY SURVEY
The committee surveyed all OMOA members to determine the extent of the skills shortage problem and to identify areas needing to be addressed in the long-range plan. A summary of the survey results is appended to this report as exhibit A.
128 OMOA members responded to the survey. The results clearly showed a need for more service personnel in the marine industry. 48% of the respondents said they were currently looking for staff. 78.3% of the companies looking for staff were seeking service department personnel.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
Following several meetings of the entire committee, the group concluded that the following areas required specific action:
1. MARINE INDUSTRY EDUCATION AND AWARENESS
The committee recommends the following actions:
· Create a communications plan to inform industry members about the existing and future skills shortages. The communications plan will include information on the OMOA website, Marina News, Industry Magazines, Conferences, Boat Shows and other industry events. Create a section of the website that will allow for job postings as well as positions available.
· Prepare surveys and other studies to provide industry members with the average earnings of employees within the marine industry. Also provide information on fringe benefits, payment for overtime, payment of bonuses and other incentive plans.
· Compare earnings within the marine industry to other industry segments (i.e. the automobile industry and RV industry).
· Educate industry about reasons for high attrition rates of qualified personnel.
· Prepare easily understood information outlining the various government grants and funding that may be available to assist companies recruiting new employees. Provide concise guidelines on how to enroll candidates in apprenticeship programs. Supply information on other industry training that is available for new recruits.
· Ensure that the industry understands the objectives and curriculum of the various apprenticeship and marine courses being offered.
· Encourage marinas to register all new service staff into apprenticeship programs so they become certified Marine Mechanics.
· Establish a method of measuring the success of the long-range skills plan.
2. WORK CLOSELY WITH COLLEGES AND EDUCATORS TO ASSIST WITH THE PROBLEM.
Actions required:
· Work with senior staff of the community colleges (Georgian and Fleming) to devise a program that will train students for the industry in sufficient numbers to overcome the long-range problem.
· Assist colleges by helping to recruit new students for the various programs. This will include some marketing efforts to attract new students.
· Contact other colleges reported to be offering marine training.
· Establish the marine program as a separate and distinct program from the small engines program.
· Work with the colleges to obtain sufficient government support to allow the colleges to complete planned programs.
· Work with colleges to create and modify, as needed, the curriculum for the marine industry programs to ensure current and future standards.
· Create centres of excellence within the marina communities that will be fed by other colleges and high schools. Fleming College might be the apprenticeship centre of excellence while Georgian may be the marine industry-training centre.
· Include apprenticeship programs in college training. Also include corporate training requirements for the OMOA and other major corporate entities. This will better enable colleges to efficiently use facilities and staff on a year round basis. Industry must embrace the apprenticeship program, thereby encouraging more young people to enter the industry. Pre-apprenticeship programs should be evaluated for credits toward apprenticeship time and in-school sessions.
Both of these facilities would receive students from other educational institutions. There would be a long-term commitment from the colleges to provide adequate time for the programs to be fully developed.
· Create a better understanding of colleges’ long range plans; this will include an understanding of “Pathway to Prosperity” as well as each individual college’s long range plans.
· Work with colleges to create scholarship opportunities where possible and seek scholarship funding from industry partners.
- EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND FUTURE GENERATIONS ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE FOR EMPLOYMENT IN THE MARINE INDUSTRY
Actions required:
· Prepare visual and written material highlighting employment opportunities available in the industry. These materials will extol the virtues and benefits of working in the marine industry.
· Prepare a marketing plan to reach the high school and college audience.
· Work with colleges and governments to obtain as much funding as possible to assist students during the training periods. Prepare easily understood information packages that will inform students of available assistance.
· Attend job fairs with knowledgeable industry representatives.
· Create a user-friendly area on the OMOA website that will inform potential employees of opportunities and training available within the industry.
· Create similar links on other sites (EG) CMMA
· Create and staff recruitment displays for major boat shows.
4. GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
· It is necessary for the industry to establish ongoing working relationships with federal and provincial governments to find long-term solutions for this problem.
· Almost every industry in Canada is presently facing a shortage of trained people. As retirement approaches for the existing skilled workforce, the problem of trained personnel will become more acute. The marine industry must inform elected as well as other government officials about the importance of our industry to the overall economy of Ontario and especially on many small marine tourism-based communities.
· Both the provincial and federal governments are aware of the skills shortages and have initiated a number of steps to find solutions. To date the marine industry has not been a part of these discussions. The industry must inform governments about the problem within the Marine industry, and educate governments at political and bureaucratic levels about the importance of the industry to the economy. The economic impact study presently being updated will assist with this task.
· Changes will be required to some government programs so that they fit the requirements of the Marine industry. At present, “marine” is classified with small engines and has no stand-alone identity. This must be corrected.
PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION & FINANCING
The OMOA Skills Committee will continue to oversee the administration of the long-range plan. The staff of the OMOA will do the work and preparation for the plan. The OMOA will work closely with the staff and other support groups at Georgian College and Fleming College.
As the OMOA is a not for profit corporation, it will seek private sector sponsorship from the marine industry for the program as well as government support where possible.
PROGRAM MEASUREMENT
The success of the long-range plan will be very easily measured. Unlike many other strategic plans that are difficult to quantify, this program can simply be measured by the number of graduates coming into the industry in any given year.
The objective of the plan is to have 500 new graduates from all areas entering the marine industry by the end of 2012.
The industry must monitor the attrition rate occurring within the industry and revise the objectives for recruitment as necessary to meet future demands.