Building Capacity Through a Multi-Skilling Model - OSEA

Bu i l d i n g Ca pa c i t y t h r o u g h
a Mu lt i-Skilling Mo d e l
A Partnership initiative led by the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA)
Ontario Sustainable Energy Association
www.ontario-sea.org

In t r o d u c t io n
The electrical and renewable energy sector is
dramatically changing. According to the 2008 Labour
Market Information Study (ESC, LMI 2008), based on
employer estimates, 28.8% of the current electricity
workforce is expected to retire between 2007 and
2012. The competition to replace these workers both
from within Canada and abroad will be intense.
Electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure
will witness significant upgrading and expansion in the
next decade. In Ontario, this will be due to the need
to replace aging infrastructure and well as to build out
the system to accommodate new and more distributed
forms of generation.
In addition, the sector will see more sophisticated
approaches to energy management. This will be
driven by a focus on conservation programmes at the
level of the building structure and consumer demand.
This will require a different kind labour force, one
that is comfortable with a more holistic, multi-skilled
approach that also balances technical and social
competencies. In short, the electrical and renewable
energy sector will need to proactively position itself to
be able to fill significant labour shortage gaps with a
new kind of worker. The CUSW is responding to this
capacity building need with an initiative referred to as
the Multi-Skilling Model.
Go a l a n d Objectives o f t h e Initiative
The initial goal of the Multi-Skilling Model is to
develop a collaborative plan of action focused on the
identification of the training deliverables that will set
the path for the trades person of yesterday to become
the multi-skilled worker in the emerging market of
tomorrow.
The objectives of the Multi-Skilling Model are twofold:
a) to provide workers with the pathway to gain the
knowledge needed to participate in the emerging
economy and
b) to provide a multi-skilled workforce that adds to the
capacity of the industry when executing everything
from systems expansion, manufacturing to
independent projects. The achievement of objectives
will bring operational flexibility and resilience to the
emerging markets. In turn, the multi-skilled worker
will continually add value to their own working lives
as they follow this journey to knowledge.
Un d e r s ta n d in g t h e Context
In yesterday’s workplace, trades people generally
specialized in their trade alone. The drive towards
sustainability and a green economy means that today’s
workplace requires a range of interconnected skills not
only to allow joined-up thinking and doing on site, but
also to make each worker more flexible, up-to-date in
their skills and employability. Although the workplace
has changed, many of the skills of the trades person
are transferable to the emerging economy.
Un d e r s ta n d in g t h e Opportunity
– A Picture o f t h e Fu t u r e
An understanding of how this opportunity plays out
can be portrayed at both the supply and demand
levels.
a) At a systems or supply level in the energy sector.
In Ontario, the Green Energy & Economy Act and
the green energy projects entitled to connection
have a direct impact on Ontario’s transmission
and distribution systems. These systems, mostly
untouched for many years, are now impacted by
new technologies. The Smart Grid system is in the
process of being developed and implemented.
As the demand for systems expansion and green
energy connections occurs, so does the need for
multi-skilled workers. These workers will be highly
valued as they will have a working knowledge of
systems as a whole and provide resource flexibility to
their employers.
b) At a local level or demand level in the energy sector:
Designing and constructing an efficient building
envelope will have a direct impact on mechanical
system design; building intelligence and automation
systems will require electricians and HVAC installers
to coordinate their efforts; energy efficiency
measures will need to be factored into construction,
as will smart meters and building-integrated
renewable energy systems. Therefore, having an
understanding and working knowledge of these
elements of the whole building will be increasingly
critical in setting ever-higher standards.

Knowledge Workers:
– Contributes to, and receives support from all directions
– Represents the employable force that enables
employer(s) goals
Competencies/Skill Sets as
Learning Objectives:
– Contributes to, and receives
support from all directions
– Partnerships between employers,
unions, learning institutions, etc.
– Develops and supports skills
training (i.e. essential skills,
technology, etc)
Employer(s):
– Contributes to, and receives
support from all directions
Such as:
– Research
– Design
– Manufacture
– HRM
– Install
– Service
– Maintain
– etc.
Emerging Industry:
– Contributes to, and receives support from all directions
Such as:
– Technology change – New technology
– Environment – Political
– Economic – etc.
Capacity Building:
– Ability of the overall to deliver outcome(s)
– All items in the workforce ecosystem are
part of the external/overall environment
– Research and Development contributes to
and receives support from all directions
– Overall goal is participation
Benefits o f t h e Mu lt i-Skilling Mo d e l
There is a synergistic relationship amongst the
parties involved on each unique project or each
unique workplace that can be used to provide a
well coordinated, knowledgeable and value-added
approach to work execution.
More broadly, when applied to other occupations, a
similarly multi-skilled and coordinated approach to
work will result in a level of operational efficiency that
will reduce work lead times, save cost and will result
in enhanced competitiveness and profitability, whilst
affording workers the opportunities to continually
upgrade their skills.
The Multi-Skilling Model opens doors to highly
progressive, efficient and innovative partnerships
between workers and organizations. It will help to
deliver the participation, purpose and knowledge that
are keys to success in the new green economy.

Wo r k Pr o g r a m m e to Realize Benefits o f t h e Mu lt i-Skilling Mo d e l
The material presented above is a “concept paper”. It is designed to be a beginning point for the more in-depth
development of a strategy and action plan to realize the benefits of a Multi-Skilling Model and its application to
the electrical and renewable energy sector. The initiators of the concept paper, the CUSW and the OSEA, wish
to proceed with the development of the Model in collaboration with complementary partners from the electrical
and renewable energy sector. The attached graphic, Workforce Ecosystem, describes the contributor categories
of the key stakeholders groups. The success of this initiative will be largely driven by the full engagement of
representative from these stakeholder categories. The key steps and outputs are as follows:
A Leadership Group of representative
1. organizations have been formed. The
organizations have a significant impact on, and
interest in the design and implementation of this
capacity building initiative. They include the following:
the Aboriginal Human Resources Council, the
Canadian Standards Association, Centennial College
Energy Institute, Durham College, First Work: Ontario
Association of Youth Employment Centres, Grand
River Employment and Training, Murray’s Electrical &
Mechanical Contractors Corporation, The C3 Group,
and Toronto Workforce Innovation Group. The
leadership group acts as a Steering Committee for
this initiative and supports OSEA community power.
The Leadership Group’s focus has been on the
2. validation of the concept paper and participants
have set governance conditions for the initiative along
with the review of the work programme.
On the week of October 4th, the Leadership
3. Group, along with a large number of invited
participants, will contribute to an OSEA sponsored
Webinar that will have four objectives: 1) to solicit
input into the goals and objective of the initiative,
2) to build an awareness and understanding around
the labour challenges confronting the electrical and
renewable energy sector in the future 3) to enter
into a dialogue with a cross-section of the sector
to determine their perspective on the events and
conditions that will influence the sector from the
perspective of the goals of the initiative as well as
4) to develop a first approximation of a desirable
future, operational “picture” for the Multi-Skilling
Model
On October 19th and 20th 2010 40 - 50 sector
4. related individuals/organizations will be invited
to an evening session & a one day participatory event
called a SearchFx workshop. Invited participants will
be offered the opportunity to contribute to the success
of the Building Capacity through a Multi-Skilling
Model initiative. The outcome of this facilitated event
will be the preparation of an Implementation vision
and strategy for the Building Capacity through a
Multi-Skilling Model, the development of an action
plan(s), the setting up of working groups to follow
up on implementation as required, identification of
resourcing requirements and nominal responsibilities
as appropriate. Invited participants to this session will
be drawn from the stakeholder categories illustrated
on the attached Workforce Ecosystem diagram.
In November 2010, the Leadership Group
5. will provide a Call-to-Action in the form of a
white paper that will be presented at the 2nd Annual
Community Power Conference to be held in Toronto
November 15 – 17.
Co n ta c t In f o r m at io n
For more information on the OSEA’s Community Power
Planning Services Group contact:
Harry French, Director, Community Power Services
Group at harry@ontario-sea.org • t. 416.977.4441 or
Ryan Manchee, Membership Services at
ryan@ontario-sea.org • t. 416.977.4441
www.ontario-sea.org
Ania Kohinski, Canadian Union of Skilled Workers
– Green Energy Consultant at akohinski@cogeco.ca
• t. 905.357.3504
www.cusw.ca