Occupational Pathways in the Applied Science and Technology Sector for People with Disabilities

The webinar will begin shortly.

Presented by:

Hosted by: BC Centre for Employment Excellence

Jacqueline de Raadt John Coward

Agenda5 mins Welcome & Introductions45 mins Presentation by Jacqueline de Raadt

and John Coward10 mins Q&A

We encourage you to ask questions! We will address them during and after the presentation. To submit a question: Use the “Questions” tab at the right of your screen (at any

time during the presentation.)

Welcome & Agenda

Persons With Disabilities (PWD) Accessibility to Technical Occupations

WelcomeWorkshop Presented by:

Supporting employers in developing diverse and

inclusive workplaces

Workshop Outline

Outline

Introductions and Purpose of ASTTBCs LMP Initiative

Addressing Skills Shortage

Consultation Process

Best Practices for Diverse & Inclusive Workplaces

Supports to Employers

Next Steps

Wrap up

Introducing ASTTBC:

Regulates applied science and engineering technologists,

technicians and technical specialists (45 occupations)

8th largest regulatory body in BC

10,500+ members across the province

Leader in tapping into alternative talent pools to address labour

shortages (Indigenous, women, internationally trained

professionals)

Overview

The purpose of ASTTBC Labour Market Partnership (LMP) initiative:

To engage employers from the applied science and engineering sector in

Metro Vancouver to explore and identify:

Current and future labour market trends in the sector

Employers current practices in recruiting PWDs

Barriers to employment for PWDs

Potential career pathways for Persons with Disabilities

Purpose

LMP Project Partners:

The Employment Program of British Columbia is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia

Project Launch

Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table

Looming labour market supply challenges for engineers,

geoscientists, technologists and technicians…31,000 job

openings needing to be filled by 2024. Nearly 11,500 new jobs in

31 key occupations will be created.

Conference Board of Canada

Engineering and applied science technicians and

technologists contributed $54.7 billion to the economy in

2011—3.3 per cent of Canadian GDP.

Skills Shortage

BC Tech Sector Labour Market Partnership

Demand vs. supply imbalance within BC’s tech sector,

affecting the growth of BC’s businesses

BC will need an additional 14,500 other workers (i.e.

reskilled/uptooled workers, underrepresented groups, and

career transitioners) to fill key roles (by 2025)

Underrepresented groups include women, First Nations,

individuals with disabilities and others

Skills Shortage

The LMP consultation included:

Two employer workshops (Surrey and Vancouver/Burnaby)

Focus group of persons with disabilities

Focus group with job developers placing persons with disabilities

Focus group of ASTTBC technical specialist managers

Interviews with PWD service delivery providers

Employer online survey

Consultation Process

Employer Workshops:

Workshops in Surrey and Vancouver/Burnaby

Attended by 34 employers

Reviewed examples of best practice from big & small employers

Introduced to various supports for employers hiring PWD’s

Completed survey questionnaires and provided feedback on

recommendations for next steps

Consultation Process

Focus Group of PWDs

Focus group composed of 7 people with disabilities facing various

employment challenges

All members had work experience or training related to the sector

Don’t want to be called “persons with disabilities” prefer “persons

with diverse abilities”

ASTTBC arranged “associate membership”

Networked with employers at the Employer Workshops

Consultation Process

Focus Group of Job Developers

Organized by Back in Motion

Attended by 17 job developers from various organizations

Discussed issues & strategies placing PWD’s

Identified employer hiring practices

Identified resources employers need to hire PWD’s

Consultation Process

Consultation Process

Focus Group of Technical Specialist Managers

Included ASTTBC’s Registrar as well as Managers

Identified the value of hiring PWD’s

Addressed potential regulatory & safety risks

Identified technical specialist positions best suited to PWD’s

Recognized the need to research and test aligned occupational

pathways for PWD’s

Interviews with Key PWD Service Delivery Providers:

Consultation Process

Google Forms Survey

159 surveys completed in 2 weeks

Representing 28 of 29 disciplines regulated by ASTTBC

Responses from micro, small, medium and large employers

Currently hiring (45.2%)

Concerned about future workforce shortages (46.7%)

Survey Findings

65.6

27.4

4.5

1.3

Percentage of PWDs in Workplace

less 1% 1 - 5% 6 - 10% 11-20%

Survey Findings

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Strategically TargetPWDs

Hire PWDs regularly Diversity & InclusionPolicies

Promote as InclusiveEmployer

Inclusive Workplace Findings

YES NO

Survey Findings

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Could we doing more to recruit PWDs?

Recruit PWDs from Post-Secondary

Service Provider Support to Recruit PWDs

Current Recruitment Strategies

NO YES

Survey Findings

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Safety risks

No perceived barriers

Accessibility

Employer lack of knowledge to be inclusive

Workplace culture

Concern about dismissal

Stigma & myths

Cost of accommodation

Perceived Barriers to Hiring PWDs

Percentage of Survey Respondents

Survey Findings

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

All of the Above

Bio Engineering

Bio Sciences

Civil

Technical Specialists

Building Design

Electronics

IT

Top Tech Occupational Pathways for PWDs

Percentage of Survey Respondents

Survey Findings

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Educate members on community organizations thatcan assist them recruiting PWDs

Work with other industry, regulatory and employerorganizations to develop diversity & inclusion

strategies

Develop sector specific resources for employers

Educate post-secondary institutions on suitable techsector careers for PWDs

How can ASTTBC help?

Percentage of Survey Respondents

Survey Findings

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Support ASTTBC proposals

Recruit PWDs

Provide informational interviews

Provide mentorship

Post jobs

Participate in industry training

Provide input

Employers Want to Help

Percentage of Survey Respondents

NEXT STEPS

ASTTBC:Commitment to supporting the integration of Persons

with Disabilities into technical occupations

Potential Sector Opportunities (ASTTBC, APEGBC,

ACEC-BC)

Interest in developing a province wide media initiative promoting a business

case for hiring PWD’s in the applied science and engineering sector

Opportunity to host an annual sector event during Disabilities Employment

Month

Encouragement to connect with public post-secondary educational

institutions to recruit PWD’s

Industry interest in highlighting resources to support employers hiring PWDs

in the sector

Ensure that PWD’s are included as an outreach target population in the

Tech Sector LMP

Interim Findings

Preliminary Intentions

Establish TECHAbility webpage with resources for employers & PWD’s

Establish a DIVERSEAbility Council of ASTTBC’s members with disabilities

to provide advice and mentorship support to prospective PWD members

Make adjustments to ASTTBC’s ‘Associate’ membership status providing

specific eligibility for PWD’s interested in employment in the sector through

the use of a PLAR approach

Engage new stakeholders to both support and participate in research and

training initiatives

Interim Findings

Potential PWD Training Initiatives R&I proposal under Community Employer Partnership Funding

PBLMT proposal for PWD’s

ASTTBC & BIM should work with employers to secure Canada/BC Jobs

Grant funding for PWD’s

ASTTBC should work with PWD service delivery organizations to gather

and develop training resources for employers to support recruitment,

selection, onboarding, integration and retention of PWD’s

Review other funding options with the federal government (i.e. Opportunities

Fund for Persons with Disabilities) to support sector specific programming

Interim Findings

Thank you

for attending this

ASTTBC webinar.

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Questions and Discussion

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