Labour Market Information for Career Decision Making

Human Resource Sector Studies and Sector Councils

Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) sponsors studies which, among other outcomes, diagnose human resource problems in national industry sectors. Industry partners and other key stakeholders come together to identify their industry's current and future human resource development challenges. The studies:

• characterize workers and the organizations that employ them in Canada;
• identify trends and factors shaping this group;
• quantify demands for, and supply of, workers and skills; and
• assess skills requirements and skills gaps and the training of the workers.

In doing so, the studies provide clues about:

• what to look for in an educational program leading to a particular occupation in that industry;
• what to look for in a company that is globally competitive and economically healthy;
• what questions to ask to impress the interviewers in a job interview; and
• what skills to develop in a present job to allow an occupational change.

Although the studies have important information for anyone wishing to enter that particular field, they were not written for the public, and a certain level of reading and research is necessary to search out the relevant information. In other words, the information is not customized and immediate. However, once a client is scheduled for an interview for work in the industry, the motivation is increased and some of this background information may prove beneficial.

Table 16 contains highlights of the environment industry study results. It is intended to serve as an example of what can be found. (Summaries of other sector reports are included in Appendix F.)

What may be more useful to practitioners and clients are the products developed by the sector councils that were created as a result of the studies. Sector councils are permanent organizations that bring together representatives from business, labour, education and other professional groups to study human resource challenges, identify solutions and manage the implementation of the sector study recommendations. In many cases, the councils have followed through with:

• development of national occupational standards for mobility, human resources strategy, training and curriculum development;
• development of individual sector council Web sites;
• production of career information materials for recruitment;
• occupational descriptions for many of the work roles in the industry for skills gap analysis, retraining and retention;
• marketing and promotion to shape industry image and needs;
• sector-specific job marts where companies can list opportunities for work and workers can post their résumés;
• internship programs for youth; and
• increased partnerships with secondary and post-secondary schools for equipment updating, updated curriculum development and skills training, mentoring, and co-operative education placements.

All of these developments make specific information available to the practitioners and the client that can be vital and aid in making decisions and action plans. Although the occupational profiles created by many sectors for human resource planning in the companies can be extremely detailed, in some cases practitioners may find them useful for:

• employees who want to create a prior learning assessment portfolio for beginning a certification process;
• employees who want to change or expand their work role in a similar area;
• employees who want to make a major move to a new position or department; and
• out-of-work people who need to find out what has happened in their field and where they need upgrading for re-entry.

The detailed profiles may be very helpful in identifying skill requirements and planning for training.

The Alliance of Sector Councils list with contact information and Web addresses is in Appendix G.

Table 16: Environment Industry
Human Resources Study 1998-1999