In a context of scarcity of engineering manpower, the Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, announced on Monday an investment of $17.6 million for the Short-term training program (COUD) in alternating work-study .
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
The program aims to train and requalify 850 workers within 5 years in the fields of civil engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering and manufacturing engineering. The targeted study programs lead to Attestation of Collegial Studies (AEC).
The government undertakes not only to cover the cost of training, but also to pay companies the salaries of participating employees during study hours. The program is aimed at workers already on the job who would like to upgrade their skills or at new workers recruited specifically for the occasion.
The Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity, Jean Boulet, maintains that he wants to respond quickly to the needs of businesses that are experiencing difficulties in recruiting labour, even if he agrees that the problems will not disappear overnight.
For these sectors and for the economy in general, the current labor challenges will be present at least for the entire current decade. It is therefore necessary to propose solutions that will be deployed over several years.
Jean Boulet, during a press conference held on Monday
The COUD comes to give additional impetus to companies which have already targeted their needs, he explains, but which are struggling to implement solutions both for lack of human resources and financial resources. In December 2021, the government announced this same program for information technology (IT), another sector hard hit by the shortage.
To qualify, the company must demonstrate that it has a loss of expertise related to the retirement of employees, an inability to fill vacant positions, issues of productivity, business development, competitiveness or integration of women.
Qualifying companies will be able to obtain up to $25 per hour to finance the salary of the employee in training. The maximum annual amount is set at $20,000 for men and $25,000 for women, because we want to encourage the recruitment of women in this field where they are clearly under-represented.
Expenses for consultants and trainers up to $150 per hour may also be reimbursed.
For employers who decide to take part in the program, the repercussions are extremely positive, maintains the minister. “It’s proven, it’s very efficient, it’s a win-win,” he said.
The CLOUD program
Since 2018, the COUD Program has accepted more than a hundred training projects, thousands of participants have registered, 85% of them have successfully completed their training, and the retention rate after 3 months is by 91%.
This program is in addition to other measures aimed at increasing the number of engineering workers, in particular Perspectives Québec university scholarships and increased support for the training of unemployed people of $475 for someone who chooses another sector. Genius.
Within 5 years, the government hopes that all these measures put in place as part of Opération main-d’oeuvre can bring 5,000 additional people into engineering.
During the press conference, Minister Boulet recalled the support provided to the construction industry through the enhanced support for the training of unemployed persons of $475 for DEPs in bricklaying-masonry, in operation mechanical shovel, carpentry-joinery, tinsmith-sheet metal work or electricity.
With its measures, the government aims to attract, recruit and train 110,000 skilled workers in the IT, engineering and construction sectors.