INNOVATION July-August 2017

Study Highlights BC Labour Market Information Needs Findings from a new study about key occupations that support the Asia recruitment activities for engineers, geoscientists, technologists and technicians. Digging Deeper: Understanding the Pacific Gateway will enhance employers’

GIT Program Information Guide Available Geoscientists Canada recently released its Geoscientists- in-Training (GIT) Program Information Guide. The guide is part of a national initiative to raise awareness of the programs offered by all the professional geoscience associations to assist in preparing individuals for their professional geoscientist (P.Geo.) designation. Geoscientists-In-Training programs support individuals who are accumulating the required work experience to complete their professional qualifications. In employing a geoscientist-in-training, current and prospective employers can be confident that a person is both academically qualified and is gaining supervised experience and on the path to becoming a P.Geo. The 20-page guide provides information and support to university students of geology/earth science, environmental geoscience and geophysics programs, and to geoscience graduates with less than 48 months of eligible work experience, as they work towards their career goal to become a professional geologist or P.Geo. The guide can be found at www.geoscientistscanada.ca. v

Engineering, Geoscientist, Technologist, and Technicians Labour Market in the Asia Pacific Gateway follows up on the Engineers, Geoscientists, Technologists and Technicians Labour Market Information study released in 2015, which provided a 10-year forecast for important labour market supply and demand information on 31 engineering, geoscience, technology and technical occupations. Digging Deeper focuses on four main areas, including understanding how occupations are dispersed across the disciplines, how the occupations work together in teams, and how new workers enter these occupations. The fourth area explored was the extent to which BC expertise is exported to support projects overseas and how that expertise is valued here at home. Key findings identify a need to improve methodologies and processes used to model labour market changes and information forecasting for engineering, geoscience, technology and technical workers in Canada’s economy. A better understanding of the workers in these occupations was also identified, as well as what employers’ needs and expectations are in the labour market. The research sheds light on the work environment, team structures and professional demands of the occupations in question. This information will help employers strategize how they can recruit and retain workers, and improve business productivity and profitability. Engineering, geoscience, technology and technical occupations are critical to supporting Canada’s Asia Pacific Gateway, a major driver in BC’s economy. While the study applies to BC, the findings are relevant to other jurisdictions in Canada. Digging Deeper is a partnership between the Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC, the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - BC, and the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC. The project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Initiatives Program. Download Digging Deeper: Understanding the Engineering, Geoscientist, Technologist, and Technicians Labour Market in the Asia Pacific Gateway at apgst.ca/projects/pdfs/Digging-Deeper- Understanding-the-EGTT-in-the-APG.pdf. Read about the 2015 Engineers, Geoscientists, Technologists and Technicians Labour Market Information study at www.lmionline.ca/projects/egtt/.

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