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| News and Events » Media Coverage » Media Coverage » May 3, 2006 - Chronicle Herald |
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Businesses must solve skill shortages
By STEVE PROCTOR Businesses must embrace mentorship and co-operative learning if they hope to have a ready pool of good talent in the future, a Jim McNiven, a former provincial deputy minister of economic development, said the benefits of having students hone their skills in the workplace are almost universally recognized, but too often when businesses in Doug Logan, a New Glasgow consultant and moderator of the NovaKnowledge event at Saint Mary’s University, said the concept sounds great but that most small businesses in the province employ just five or six people and don’t have the time to help a student find their footing. "Then you don’t have the right to bitch and complain that people aren’t ready for a job," countered Mr. McNiven. "You can’t leave it to government." He said government is good at using co-op students, but even when a university is willing to pay certain fees or insurances, dozens of businesses have to be contacted for each student who is placed on a co-op basis. He sees the program’s success in students who come to class in suit and tie following a work term and bring with them an "eager to perform" attitude. Barb Hart, provincial manager for pharmaceutical giant PharmEng International, just wrapped up a work term with six students from Others in the audience of about 100 said teachers and guidance counsellors should also be placed in co-op learning environments so they can have real-life business experiences. But Ernst Grundke, a Dal computer science teacher, said businesses shouldn’t be responsible for training students. He said that’s the university’s job "and they had better do it well." Businesses, he said, should be viewed as consumers of the product that universities turn out and, with globalization, they can shop the world for the best that’s available. Doug Cassidy, manager of Michelin Mr. Cassidy and others said while co-op programs might be worthwhile, a key to a more successful workforce requires a return to an emphasis on education fundamentals like math and grammar. He said half of all those who apply for work at Michelin are screened out because they can’t fill out the application form completely.
Copyright © 2006 The Halifax Herald Limited |
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