The vice-president of a Newfoundland and Labrador-based immigration and a recruiting firm was in Windsor Tuesday, touting the idea that the region’s skilled trade shortage could be solved by bringing in foreign workers.

Windsor-Essex misses out on $600 million in economic activity every year because of a skilled trades shortage, according to the region’s Chamber of Commerce.

Wanda Cuff-Young, vice-president of St. John’s-based Work Global Canada, has been touring southwestern Ontario telling local employers and politicians about the benefits of bringing in foreign workers to fill vacancies in the skilled trades, primarily in the manufacturing sector.

“It’s always about trying to find Canadians for these jobs,” Cuff-Young explained. “[But] the employees we’ve spoken to say they’ve been exhausting these methods.”

Cuff-Young said that depending on the program, employers can get work permits for foreign workers in as little as eight weeks.

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Foreign workers have been used in Cuff-Young’s home province to help address shortages in the hospitality industry.

“It’s worked very well in Newfoundland and Labrador,” she explained, noting that the province’s tourism industry is booming.

“Most of [the workers] have decided to apply for permanent residence and bring their families here.”

Source: cbc.ca

As well, half of Windsor employers surveyed are reporting an inability to fill all of the skilled positions they have available.

The Federal Government’s Mobilite Francophone Stream (MFS) was established last year to help connect qualified international French-speaking skilled workers with local employers in all provinces and territories outside Quebec. Work Global Canada, a Canadian immigration and international recruiting firm, headquartered in St John’s, NL, has been at the forefront of this effort.

WGC’s vice president, Wanda Cuff-Young, will be speaking to potential employers, human resource firms, and government representatives in Windsor as part of a southwestern Ontario tour. Cuff-Young will be speaking at Grill 55 in the Holiday Inn on Huron Church Road, on October 17. She will be addressing manufacturers between 7:30am and 9am and HR reps from 5pm until 6:30pm.

From noon until 1:30pm, Cuff-Young will be hosting the hospitality sector at the downtown Holiday Inn.

Source: Windsor Square