Human Resources in Canada's Built Heritage Sector: Mapping the ...

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MAPPING THE WORK FORCE AND SETTING STRATEGIC PRIORITIESArchitecture and Engineering in the Built Heritage Sector• Architects and engineers working in the built heritage sector require distinct skills that take account ofpreservation goals. Architects, in particular, play a key role in the sector owing to the project managementrole which they frequently undertake. The report proposes a research project focused on the role ofarchitecture and engineering in the built heritage sector. This research project should be developedin co-operation with the architectural and engineering professional associations and with major publicand private owners of heritage structures. The purpose of this research project would be to documentthe extent to which professional specialization already prevails in the market and to identify how theneed for specialized skills should be addressed.Skilled Trades and Contractors in the Built Heritage Sector• There are no reliable estimates of the number of skilled tradespersons or contractors who regularlywork in the built heritage sector. Interviews and focus groups identified widespread concerns aboutthe lack of heritage skills among both skilled trades and trade contractors. This problem is especially acutewhen inexperienced contractors win jobs in the built heritage sector. Any training strategy for skilledtrades in the built heritage sector must rest on a solid analytical foundation. This includes a demandanalysis, a supply analysis, and an analysis of the of specific heritage skills required for each trade.• A more fundamental challenge is to structure and deepen the dialogue between the construction industryand professionals within the built heritage sector. This distance must be bridged before specific initiativesare undertaken. The report recommends that Cultural Human Resources Council ask theConstruction Sector Council to establish a Heritage Trades Group. In addition to constructionindustry representatives, the proposed Heritage Trades Group should include key stakeholders in thebuilt heritage sector. The Heritage Trades Group should be asked to undertake a systematic analysisof human resource needs involving skilled trades in the Built Heritage Sector and to recommend specificsteps appropriate to each trade.Data Gaps• Better human resource planning in the built heritage sector requires better estimates of the numberof persons who work in the sector, their occupational distribution and their demographic characteristics.Equally, it is important to have better estimates on the amount of construction and repairspending in the sector and the distribution of the related work across the trades. The absence of keyemployment and economic data was a one of the themes of the Heritage Canada Foundation’sreport, Human Resource Issues in the Preservation of Heritage Buildings. The report recommends thatthe Built Heritage Committee prioritize the sector’s data needs and consider strategies for rectifyingthe most serious deficiencies. These strategies could include customized surveys, systematic consultations,co-operation with privately managed construction industry databases, and econometric modelling.Recommendations (Abbreviated)• The report’s recommendations address:1. Supporting the Professional Work Force2. Architecture and Engineering Professions in the Built Heritage Sector3. The Built Heritage Sector and the Construction Industry4. Rectifying Data Deficiencies5. Maintaining Momentum©CULTURAL HUMAN RESOURCES COUNCIL5
HUMAN RESOURCES IN CANADA’S BUILT HERITAGE SECTOR2. IntroductionThis study was requested by the Cultural Human Resources Council in partnership with HumanResources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). The study builds on previous work undertaken bythe Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF). The HCF study observed that “during the last three decades, awork force of built heritage preservation professionals and tradespeople has emerged in Canada.”However, “[this] cohort of trades and professional heritage conservation workers is not adequatelyrecognized or understood.”1 Indeed, the scope of the built heritage sector, itself, is difficult to define,since ‘heritage’ is an evolving concept. Before a human resource strategy can be framed, progress must bemade on defining the built heritage sector and mapping the built heritage work force.The approach taken in this study is based on interviews and workshops with stakeholders in the builtheritage sector, a review of other published studies and statistical sources, and a preliminary scan ofpractices in other jurisdictions. The report understands the built heritage sector as being significantly morethan the work force that is directly engaged in restoring and maintaining heritage structures. Chapter Fourdescribes the built heritage sector as a continuum with identifiable stages. The first stage in this continuuminvolves the formulation of policies and applied research. The next stage is interventions to repair, conserve,restore or adapt heritage structures. The final stage involves maintenance and management of thosestructures and, where relevant, cultural and interpretive programming related to the structures. Based onthis understanding of what constitutes the built heritage sector, some 40+ occupations or families ofoccupations have been identified as pertinent to the built heritage sector. Some of these occupations arecentral to the built heritage sector. Others have an impact on the sector, but are not primarily builtheritage occupations.Brief profiles of all of the occupations engaged with the built heritage sector are set out in Appendix E.These profiles provide a capsule description of the occupation’s role in the sector, identify issues related tooccupational standards or regulation, and indicate how the occupation links up with the NationalOccupational Classification (NOC) system. These occupational profiles are far less detailed than formal‘job descriptions.’ Their purpose is to convey a general sense of role, responsibilities and qualifications.Further work on occupational standards pertaining to any of these occupations would require a more detailedexamination of the role, responsibilities, functions and qualifications required, as well as a more focussedvalidation procedure to ensure the accuracy of the descriptions. Nevertheless, the occupational profiles inAppendix E, together with an understanding of the structure and dynamics of the built heritage sector, doprovide a basis for recommending strategic priorities for strengthening the sector’s human resources.PRISM ECONOMICS AND ANALYSIS and BARRY PADOLSKY ASSOCIATES INC., Architects wishto express their appreciation to the members of the Steering Committee and to the many persons in thebuilt heritage sector who contributed their time and offered valuable advice.1 Heritage Canada Foundation, Human Resource Issues in the Preservation of Heritage Buildings: Research Report, 2003, p 236©CULTURAL HUMAN RESOURCES COUNCIL
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