Today's Workforce, Tomorrow's Workplace

Learning from our mistakes to make products better?

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:08:36 +0000

Yesterday was an interesting news day for those of us with an interest in manufacturing and R & D.

Having been to San Andres Island a few years ago, I was amazed yesterday when I heard of the plane crash there where a Boeing 737 missed the runway, crashed and broke into three pieces with only one indirect fatality. A similar incident in…

- Author: Carol Simpson

Just how important is census data?

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:27:22 +0000

It's been a while since my last blog. Summer vacation and catching up on paperwork has kept me busy but where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday it was May and here we are almost at the end of July and bang smack in the middle of a controversy that you're either totally opinionated on or are not interested at all. Since I happen to be…

- Author: Carol Simpson

Is apprenticeship alive and thriving in this area?

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:17:29 +0000

Recent apprenticeship numbers released by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities shows a drastic increase in the number of registered apprentices in some manufacturing trades from just six years ago. Having done a number of skilled trade research studies and projections over the past 10 years, I'm pleased to see a rebound in…

- Author: Carol Simpson

Ontario Economic Overview released by Industry Canada – How are we doing?

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:10:35 +0000

In May 2010, Industry Canada released the "Ontario Economic Overview" which looked at some key industry and economic indicators including employment. I was interested and very pleased to see that one of the highlights of the report appears to validate the information we identified in our most recent local workforce planning report.

The Conference…

- Author: Carol Simpson

Career monogamy again?

Thu, 20 May 2010 19:33:02 +0000

Many of us, who are let's say a little older than forty, can remember a time when you expected to spend most, if not all, of your career with just one or two employers. It's not like that now I can hear you saying, but is it?

I think back to my interview for a position with British Telecom, my first and hopefully last employer. I was told that it…

- Author: Carol Simpson

Labour Force Survey

Wed, 12 May 2010 20:40:39 +0000

Oh no, not another survey…..!

How do you get the latest, most up to date, labour market information? You rely on Statistics Canada's monthly labour force survey of course. Well at least that's what we've always done up until now.

There's no problem with the data really except that it doesn't tell us much and in today's world we need to keep our…

- Author: Carol Simpson

Emerging from Recession: A 'Quick Start' strategy.

Tue, 11 May 2010 18:43:22 +0000

This morning I had the opportunity to lead off a morning of presentations hosted by Corporate Benefit Analysts. The keynote speaker was Dr. Sherry Cooper, Chief Economist from the Bank of Montreal who delivered an insightful presentation of the economic climate now, and into the future.

My presentation was concerned with some of the themes of her…

- Author: Matthew Simon

Oil or Electricity?

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:12:59 +0000

Browsing CBC's web site earlier today, I came across an article talking about yet another push toward the use of electric vehicles. A Chinese company plans to market its electric vehicle on the US west coast later this year. Now I know I've talked about greening the auto industry before but it was not the news of the car that tweaked my interest…

- Author: Carol Simpson

Want to know more about today’s labour market and the jobs of tomorrow?

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:20:11 +0000

The Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin has now completed the latest planning report. The report "Trends Opportunities and Priorities - A Lens on Local Industry 2010" will be distributed electronically within the next week and will be publicly launched on May 11^th. The report examines opportunities and challenges impacting…

- Author: Carol Simpson

Conducting business in other languages?

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:40:47 +0000

I'm a big fan of Douglas Adams' trilogy "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". In the books, Adams solves the problem of how aliens from different planets understand and communicate with each other by introducing us to the Babel fish. A small creature that, when inserted into the ear or its equivalent, instantly translates from any alien language…

- Author: Carol Simpson