Project Overview - Pilots for the North
- 1. Learning/Workplace Co-op Vocational Training Program for Anglophones and Aboriginals DEP Pilot Project Skilled Aviation Workers for Northern Quebec Reproducibility Other sectors and communities Dissemination of information with an Aboriginal context An integrated learning model that leverages community potential and industry needs, to maximize learning and employability for adults with low literacy and low educational attainment, enabling them to participate fully in the economic development of the region.
- 2. 2 THE ISSUE: The need for skilled workers serving the aviation industry CONCLUSION: There is an increased demand for skilled aviation workers in the Northern region of Quebec, to meet the needs of a growing economy. With the increase of exploration and production of natural resources in Quebec’s northern region, air links that connect communities, workers and resource development sites are growing in demand. At the same time, high turnover of trained personnel has always been a challenge for the regional aviation sector. This turnover is due to several factors including: – Baby Boomers retiring – Natural career progression (brain-drain to more lucrative jobs in the south) – Rustic living conditions compared to the south According to Air Creebec’s website, the company is committed to replacing retiring employees with trained Cree workers. According to the Comité sectoriel de main-d’œuvre en aérospatiale du Québec (CAMAQ), between 2014 and 2016 the industry forecast includes: – the hiring of 58 additional pilots in companies with fewer than 250 employees – 537 other aviation sector jobs that will need to be filled, of which 307 will be in maintenance, where trained mechanics are highest in demand.
- 3. 3 THE SOLUTION: Aboriginal labour, an untapped resource Effective planning for adult education and training could provide significant opportunities for Aboriginal adults to replace non-Aboriginals who will retire or leave their jobs. A demand- driven co-op DEP will benefit both the Aboriginal labour force and the industries facing skilled labour shortages. Development in Quebec’s north will certainly have an impact on employment opportunities for Aboriginals, in the coming years. This investment constitutes an employment opportunity for an underutilized pool of workers who have a desire to live, work and actively participate in their own communities, and who are reluctant to leave home for extended periods of time to train or to work. Studies show however, that Cree access to northern development jobs is limited. Only 10% of the estimated 18,570 jobs created in the mining sector in northern Quebec are going to local manpower* . Moreover, even if Cree do work in development projects, they usually end up with temporary jobs that do not require specific skills. Demand-driven training: one part of the solution Successful projects in the mining industry have shown that demand-driven training is having a positive impact with northern Aboriginals and industry, especially where there is a shortage of skilled workers. Demand-driven training begins by identifying employer needs for skilled workers and then matching the training to meet the employment opportunities. Need for a co-op DEP: the other part of the solution However, in a report commissioned by the Cree School Board, it is estimated that there are approximately 3,500 unemployed Cree adults without either a primary or cycle 1 or 2 secondary education. A demand-driven co-op DEP (for “Diplôme d’études professionnelles”, or Diploma of Vocational Studies) program, using a learning/workplace approach to training, could open employment opportunities for this hard-to-reach segment of the population. In addition, such a DEP could help reach the over 2,000 Cree who have the potential to acquire additional skills and complete vocational or technical training but are reluctant to enroll into, or resume, training due to barriers such as lack of prerequisites or low LES (literacy and essential skills). *Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay, Chisasibi, 2013
- 4. 4 NEED IDENTIFICATION: Regional Aviation Industry Cree Nation Government As economic growth and development continue in the Quebec’s north, so too will the requirement for increased air transportation, whether passenger or freight. As the need grows, air carriers and operators will recruit more pilots and other trained aviation personnel to help service routes in the region. For many years, regional airlines in Quebec have trained pilots only to lose them to larger carriers in the south. This pilot turnover is not only the result of natural training progression (i.e., as pilots successfully complete training hours, they are certified to train on larger aircraft), but is particular to this region; there is a constant challenge to attract and retain qualified pilots who want to remain in the region, raising families and participating in the community over the long term. Regional airlines operate in very challenging weather conditions and need pilots who have a profound understanding of both weather patterns and how an aircraft and its engines respond under these conditions. Cree community economic development now centres on an important commitment to becoming“Masters of our own Destiny”, a bold vision of the future in which the Cree take full control of their economic destiny. Clearly, the youth, the fastest growing segment of the population, need opportunities for a stronger future that starts with capacity building, training and employment. In general, Cree adults need to live, work and actively participate in their own communities. For this reason, it is important to situate training facilities in their territory. An added benefit is that the facilities themselves act as a reminder of the possibilities open to others in the community. Young Cree adults need strong role models. These role models not only give them a clear sightline to employ- ability, but they serve to challenge these adults to stretch and reach higher, building on the success of others. There is a need for an integrated learning model that supports adults with low literacy and low educational attainment, so they can fill skilled positions identified by industries operating in their regions.
- 5. RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS: Cree School Board to train skilled aviation workers for Northern Québec To fill the demand for pilots and other aviation jobs, the Cree School Board has identified a need for a DEP to train aviation pilots to be delivered at the Sabtuan Regional Vocational Training Centre (SRVTC) in Waswanipi. This DEP would not only fast-track successful applicants into the program (Concomitance), to ensure persistence in the program, LES and WES (workplace essential skills) interventions are built into the curriculum and into the critical first year of employment. QELA is also committed to working with the Cree School Board on a proposal to pilot-test a distance learning add-on to both the DEP program and to the WES interventions. By its very nature distance learning involves the use of technology. This use of technology in learning leads to learner control over time, place, path and pace - a blended learning approach. This approach will also figure in the pilot project and will surely offer interesting insights into how the use of technology can facilitate learning, especially with in the case of low literacy adults. Finally, the choice of SRVTC as the training centre will allow enrolled students, and select members of their immediate family, use of the residence. This residence can include a day-care facility to benefit families where both parents are enrolled in a program. The program would be delivered using a co-op methodology whereby invested industry employers would offer their workplace as a training centre for practical training and internships. Access to learning will include a distance learning component that leverages blended learning. 5
- 6. 6 PART ONE: A Pilot Project to Train Pilots for the North The Quebec Essential Learning Alliance (QELA), along with aviation industry partners that include PASCAN Aviation and Exact Air, has approached the Cree School Board with an opportunity to begin to fill a need for skilled pilots in the region. QELA has received funding to pilot test a project that links low literacy, low educational attainment adults to skilled jobs that are currently in demand in their immediate community. QELA has approached the Cree School Board and Cree Human Resources Development (CHRD) to help pilot test an innovative integrated learning model for adults that will take into consideration the Aboriginal cultural context. Goal: To train three successive cohorts as they first gain their private pilot’s license and then go on to either commercial ratings or find other employment in one of the other 12 occupations in the aviation sector (e.g. as dispatchers, pilot instructors, mechanics) within a 4-year period. Hockey metaphors will be used to help attract and engage candidates. Methodology: 1. The Cree School Board and CHRD will recruit candidates (a.k.a. Player Draft) to the DEP en Pilotage. In Year 1, one candidate will be selected from each of the 9 communities. 2. A 3-month orientation (a.k.a. Spring Training Camp) will follow and will focus on literacy and essential skills training in the context of the aviation industry. 3. Successful completion of the orientation leads to automatic acceptance into the DEP en Pilotage. Successful candidates (a.k.a. Rookies) are assigned industry mentors (a.k.a. Personal Coaches) to help integrate them into the program and introduce them to the workplace. 4. QELA adult learning specialists will work with the SRVTC Essential Skills resource as well as the technical curriculum trainers to embed LES components into the MELS/Cree School Board curriculum (a.k.a. Regular Season). Classroom sessions (a.k.a. Home Games) are supplemented by workplace sessions (a.k.a. Away Games) as pilots in training gain exposure to workplace tasks and work flows and learn appropriate behaviours that will help them keep their jobs in the long term and keep them out of the Penalty Box. 5. Successful completion of the program culminates in the awarding of the certification from Transport Canada—a private pilot’s license (a.k.a. Placing in the Semi-Finals)—with the crowning achievement, a DEP en Pilotage (a.k.a. The Stanley Cup). 6. Graduates can now continue on to commercial licenses as they gain experience and flying hours working for aviation industry partners. WES interventions carry on into the first year of employment as graduates continue to be coached and monitored by their mentors as well as WES specialists. 7. Should a program participant wish to continue in the aviation industry without continuing or completing pilot training, industry partners, with the help of the mentors, will find other internship opportunities within companies.
- 7. 7 Success factors: To maximize the success of the Pilot Project, the following conditions must be satisfied: • Offered at the Secondary level (DEP en Pilotage) and includes a certification recognized by employers • Recruitment is key, and candidates are selected carefully • Incorporates the latest techniques in learner-centred approaches • Flexible and incorporates a Concomitance program to support adults with lower educational attainment • Day-care facilities are available to those who demonstrate need • Program is demand-driven and responds to the changing employment needs in the territory • Aboriginal training practices are integrated, including involving elders as“Spiritual Mentors” • Use of Aboriginal facilitators • Aboriginal culture permeates into the program during training and off-training periods • Establishment of strong partnerships with existing community health and social support services, including access to drug, alcohol or suicide prevention support groups and counselling • Incorporation of best practices from successful models (e.g., RESDAC - Réseau pour le développement de l’alphabétisme et des compétences) Towards an Integrated Model to Support the Literacy Development of Francophones in Canada, and the British Columbia Aboriginal Mentoring Training Association (BCAMTA ) Training and Employment Model) • Engaged industry partner offering a workplace site with a commitment to hiring program graduates DEP Pilot Project Skilled Aviation Workers for Northern Quebec Reproducibility Other sectors and communities Dissemination of information with an Aboriginal context
- 8. 8 STRONG PARTNERSHIPS ARE THE KEY TO SUCCESS: Strategic alignment with the MELS and northern development Strategic alignment of the program with the MELS and northern development is also an important consideration for the success of the program. The following charts outline the criteria that will ensure this program is a success from both the MELS perspective and a strategic development perspective for northern communities. MELS OBJECTIVES Successful program completion • To increase access of adults, particularly young adults, to vocational training, and to promote their completion of that training. • A greater number of adult students registering with school boards, staying in school, and graduating. • A greater number of young students registered with school boards, staying in school and graduating. Student retention • Students will perceive earning a diploma as a more easily achievable goal. • A greater number of students graduating. Obtention of a first qualification by a maximum number of students • Through the creation of a preparatory program leading to registration in a vocational training program, and thereafter to employment. STRATEGIC NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT Enriched partnerships • Leverage the experience and resources of industry partners. • Set parameters for the promotion of partnerships with respect to other vocational training programs. • Thanks to partnerships with industry players, the MELS will be able to attract adults, especially young adults (aged 18 to 35), and to offer them an easier, wider and more varied access to vocational training in the province's most isolated regions. Ensure constant adaptation of government initiatives • Programs must be aligned with the realities of Quebec’s northern regions, or else be modified to adapt to them. • Both the consequence (a greater number of students earning a diploma) and the final result (a greater number of qualified pilots) will benefit northern development. Authorization processes related to specific vocational training programs must be streamlined and shortened. • The creation of a preparatory program leading to an accredited DEP for training qualified pilots, or the creation of a program offered in concomitance with this DEP, will directly contribute to the success of the northern development initiative.
- 9. 9 STRONG PARTNERSHIPS ARE KEY TO SUCCESS: Collaboration between industry, Aboriginals and adult learning specialists This program brings together key private-sector, government, education and community partners to create an innovative program for meeting the needs of the aviation sector and the Aboriginal communities in the north. POTENTIAL PARTNERS Partner Role PASCAN Aviation • Aviation sector advisor • Provides internships and employment opportunities • Input into Comprehensive Case Study Air Inuit / Creebec / Labrador • Provide internships and employment opportunities Exact Air • Delivers technical and flight training • LES/WES curriculum advisor • Input into Comprehensive Case Study • Provides internships • Provides employment opportunities in pilot instruction and forest fire patrol to graduates of a commercial multi-IFR program CREE NATION – Aboriginal cultural context (learning/workplace) Cree School Board Sabtuan Regional Vocational Training Centre • Direct curriculum • Deliver training • Provide Essential Skills Resource • Work with QELA adult learning consultant • Provide housing facility (room and board) • Support Comprehensive Case Study • Community of Practice Committee members Cree Human Resources Development (To be confirmed) • Funding for flight training • Student allowance • Travel allowance • Activity allowance • Support Comprehensive Case Study with recent data Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay • Provide counselor and social worker PROVINCIAL AND FEDERAL – Essential skills development Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) • Creation of DEP en Pilotage • Workplace Essential Skills, mentoring and coaching (Services aux entreprises) QELA • Funding for project design, facilitation, management, assessment and reporting • Coordination of industry/employer internship and employment CEDEC • Funding of Comprehensive Case Study (Initial Assessment) • Input into best and promising practices and lessons learned from other programs RESDAC • Provides minority-language literacy and skills perspective (French outside Quebec) • Integrated learning model advisor BCAMTA • Provides promising practice markers for Aboriginal learners based on their demand-driven program • Insight into how they run a highly successful program (more than exceeded forecasted results) that provides a benchmark for this pilot program
- 10. 10 PART TWO – REPRODUCIBILITY: Confirming Reproducibility Objective: Evaluate reproducibility of key components of the Skilled Aviation Workers for Northern Quebec pilot project, including how to motivate, engage and upskill hard-to-reach Anglophone adults who may not realize they need LES support, but are very aware they have employment needs. Provide recommendations on how to implement similar programs that enable these adults to find work in other sectors/industries in their rural or other remote communities. Potential Industry Partners A number of industry partners have been identified that offer not only a job at the end of the program, but actively participate throughout the program as the workplace site for the co-op training. These partners can include companies whose operations may be hampered by a lack of access to qualified candidates to fill semi-skilled and skilled positions, or those whose existing workforce needs upskilling to fill future positions within the company. Although this need could be sector- or region-driven, each program will require customization to meet the training needs. Furthermore, each program will require the important co-op component, i.e., taking training from the classroom to the workplace, and would follow the new hire into the first year of employment. DEP Pilot Project Skilled Aviation Workers for Northern Quebec Reproducibility Other sectors and communities Dissemination of information with an Aboriginal context Programs must be aligned with the realities of Quebec’s regions and its industries, or else be modified to adapt to them.
- 11. 11 PART THREE – DISSEMINATION: Building on Success Objective: Leverage the Anglophone and Aboriginal cultural contexts and engage LES stakeholders from other communities in Québec by sharing knowledge, expertise and recommendations with the goal of disseminating best practices within their respective networks. Outputs • Dissemination plan that will include: – The identification of relevant opportunities across Québec and Canada (including conferences, events, publications, webinars) to present project key findings and recommendations; – Communication materials, such as abstracts for conferences, articles for publication and webinars, tailored to organizations that train low-skilled workers looking to enter the workforce, keep a job or get ahead in their jobs (Aboriginal and Anglophones, newcomers) and organizations that are involved in community economic development, employability, and workforce development • Presentations for industry and Aboriginal stakeholders DEP Pilot Project Skilled Aviation Workers for Northern Quebec Reproducibility Other sectors and communities Dissemination of information with an Aboriginal context
- 12. 12 Reports to Guide Future Programs That the whole is greater than the sum of its parts is evidenced by three reports that are immediate outputs of the project. Comprehensive Case Study A Comprehensive Case Study will document, analyze, report and provide recommendations relating to the reproducibility of the program in other communities and sectors in Quebec. Not only will the case study follow the progress of the pilot project, contributors to the study will give it a community economic development perspective and it will be written in language that is accessible to educators and other LES stakeholders. This report includes an economic and labour market analysis specific to the Cree region and presents current, available information on: • Effect of education on the labour force • Occupation and sector impacts • Demand-driven training • Population and labour force dynamics • How the Aboriginal cohort is young and growing • Income and unemployment • Cree working-age population growth The aviation industry in Quebec is also presented to frame the context in which we are operating. Topics include: • The labour market and opportunities • Current situation in education and training • Job profiles for pilots and career options Community of Practice An independent adult learning research team will prepare a Community of Practice report. The report will analyze the quantitative and qualitative data compiled from participants’pre- and post-assessments, and provide a detailed analysis of the implementation of an occupation-specific training program that uses an integrated model in a rural-remote Aboriginal community. Best and Promising Practice Markers How to Develop and Implement a LES/WES Co-op – A Practical Guide for Northern Aboriginal Communities. This guide will be prepared using plain-language for use by northern Aboriginal community pre-employability centres, literacy organizations and community economic development groups..
- 13. 13 Round-Table Committees Two important committees, the Project Advisory Committee and the Community of Practice Committee, will help guide the 4-year LES/WES Co-op Vocational Training Program for Anglophones and Aboriginals. Both committees will be coordinated by QELA and will include stakeholders who bring their unbiased, real- world experience and expert opinions to the project. Project Advisory Committee Comprised of members from the areas of Aboriginal learning, training, employability and community economic development; CEOs and general managers of regional airlines; and adult learning stakeholders. Community of Practice Committee Comprised of adult learning and LES researchers and specialists who will exchange valuable insights and recommendations as they guide the LES/WES co-op instructors. The committee will also be key in the development of the best practices summary. DEP Pilot Project Comprehensive Case Study Community of Practice Best and Promising Practice Markers Skilled Aviation Workers for Northern Quebec Reproducibility Other sectors and communities Dissemination of information with an Aboriginal context
- 14. 14 Conclusion Immediate Outcomes • Greater attachment to the skilled aviation labour market by the Cree of Eeyou Istchee, as measured by: 1. An increase in the number of private pilots licensed 2. An increase in the number of pilots for the North 3. The number of participants who continue on to advanced training (e.g., multi-engine, instrument flying) 4. The number of participants who train as helicopter pilots or to work in aviation-related vocations (e.g., dispatching, aircraft mechanics) as a result of workplace exposure • Success for Aboriginal people in a vocational training program, as measured by the participant program completion ratio, (the number of participants who complete the DEP over the number who leave the program before successful completion). • Success for Aboriginal people in other aviation industry occupations as measured by the participant ‘redirection’ratio, (the number of participants who find jobs as a result of their internship over the number who leave the program before successful completion). • Improved Aboriginal representation: The airline partners realize an increase in the percentage of Aboriginal versus non-Aboriginal workers, as measured by an increase in the Aboriginal versus non-Aboriginal participant placement rate. • The airline industry connects to training through vocational centres, as measured by an increase in the number of co-op interns placed with aviation partners in the region during the project period. • The co-op program serves as a best practice, leveraging the integrated learning model while respecting Aboriginal culture and the realities of northern communities, and confirms its reproducibility. This will be measured and reported by adult learning research and by the Comprehensive Case Study (labour market outcomes). • New pilot graduates receive a diploma recognized by MELS.
- 15. 15 Pilot Project Skilled Aviation Workers for Northern Quebec Reproducibility Other sectors and communities Dissemination of information with an Aboriginal context DEP en Pilotage Long-Term Outcomes • Ripple effect: Participants become role models who encourage other adult learners to reach higher and enrol in skilled training programs. This will be measured by the increase in the number of applicants for the Pilot Training Co-op in years two and three. • Increased LES of unemployed Aboriginal people so they can participate in and adapt to a knowledge- based economy and society. This will be measured through interviews with program graduates and instructors. • A renewable aviation workforce now serving the northern region of Quebec. This will be measured through interviews with aviation industry employers. A DEP en Pilotage will open up the future for young Aboriginal pilots.
- 16. Helping the Cree Nation reach higher For more information, contact: Quebec Essential Learning Alliance 410 Saint-Nicolas Street, Suite 236, Montréal, Québec H2Y 2P5 Tel: 450.242.2360 • Toll-free: 1.866.942.7352 • info@qela.qc.ca www.qela.qc.ca Cree Human Resources Development Le Développment des Ressources Humaines Cris Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation www.cedec.ca Cree Human Resources Development www.chrd.ca Cree School Board www.cscree.qc.ca PASCAN Aviation Inc. www.pascan.com Quebec Essential Learning Alliance www.qela.qc.ca Working together to make skilled jobs accessible PO-04-2015-E This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Adult Learning, Literacy and Essential Skills Program. Part of the funding for this project was provided by the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages 2013-2018: Education, Immigration, Communities.