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Welcome to the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada
Established in 1895, the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada is a vibrant and diverse national trade association serving the needs of mechanical contractors of all sizes engaged in such disciplines as plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, controls systems, medical gases, welding, and fire suppression, primarily within the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors.
With nearly 1,000 member companies, across 24 regional and provincial MCA offices, the role of the National Association is to encourage, support and promote the advancement of the mechanical contracting industry.
The Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada’s mission is to continuously exceed the ever-rising expectations of our membership. This is achieved by quickly and creatively responding to our members needs and challenges, by embracing change, by educating our industry, and by exploring new opportunities.
The main focus of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada is to coordinate and develop policies and programs that are national in nature, of common interest to all members and to enhance the productivity and profitability of mechanical contractors.
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What's Happening
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SKILLS IN CRISIS
Last fall, there were 268,000 unfilled jobs in Canada. In the manufacturing sector alone, more than 20,000 positions remain empty. Nearly 50 per cent of Canadian manufacturers are experiencing labour shortages today, and by 2016, Canada will have 660,000 unskilled workers and 1.3 million skilled jobs sitting vacant. Meanwhile, Canadian unemployment sits at around seven per cent, with youth unemployment doubling that figure — a stark predicament that has a lingering effect on both youth and the  economy.
These numbers represent an industry — and a country — undergoing a time of unprecedented change to its workforce makeup. We have people without jobs and jobs without people — a situation to be intensified in the coming years by an aging population. Skilled is the operative word. Graduates today aren’t entering the “real world” with the same kinds of tangible skills they used to. Sons and daughters sought for taking over the family-run business are pursuing alternative career paths. Youth are often ill- or under-exposed to manufacturing-related options, and are taken out of shop classes in high school.
While the issue may stem from causes as early on in life as childhood, the education system plays a significant role in bridging the gap between unemployment and a productive profession.
While enrolment in trades schools is climbing, with total registration jumping from 281,000 in 2005 to 382,731 five years later, the completion rate sits at about 50 per cent. According to Watts-Rynard, recruiting employers to take on apprentices is a challenge, and upon hearing about the skills shortage, she is always quick to ask companies how many apprentices they train. Nineteen per cent of Canadian companies participate in apprenticeship training —far below countries like Switzerland, Germany, the UK and Australia, where it is part of the culture.
The federal government has recognized the need for investing in skills training to incent prospective and existing employees to develop the right tools needed to succeed in the sector. In the 2013 federal budget, the government included an investment of $300 million per year allocated in Canada Job Grants.The federal government and the provinces will each match employer investments in skills training for new and existing employees up to $5,000 per worker. Commitments, like this, ensure industry is armed with the resources it needs to continue to expand its local labour force.
While our workforce challenges are well known, the tangible solutions to the complexity of issues at hand are not always so readily available. From business and labour organizations, industry, education and training systems to all levels of government and individuals, demonstrating leadership will be the difference between overcoming the challenge and succumbing to it.
Whether it’s raising the exposure or status of manufacturing-related programs and career options to better local partnerships to encouraging our children to explore careers in the trades, we all have a role to play in focusing on what we can do to improve and prepare our own workforce — and upcoming workforce — to be armed with the skills and expertise Canada needs.
In an industry that pays $1.84 billion a week in salaries and employs 1.85 million Canadians, bridging the skills gap is an urgent priority. Click here to read the complete article. (Source: Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Magazine, Louise A. Legault)
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Upcoming Events
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MCA Ontario Conference
May 23-June 1, 2013
Paris, France
MCA Western Regional Meeting
May 29, 2013
Saskatoon, SK
MCA Saskatchewan
May 30 - June 1, 2013
Saskatoon, SK
CCA Meetings
May 30- June 1, 2013
Kelowna, BC
CIPH Conference
June 16-18, 2013
Halifax, NS
MCA Canada's Conference
September 25 - 28, 2013
Winnipeg, MB
CANS Annual General Meeting
October 4 - 6, 2013
Digby, NS
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Industry News
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Government Increases Support for Apprentices & Skilled Trades
May 7, 2013—The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today highlighted key Economic Action Plan 2013 measures that will address Canada’s skills shortages and transform the way Canadians receive skills training. The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant (AIG) is a $1,000 taxable cash grant for apprentices who complete the first and/or second level of the apprenticeship program in a designated Red Seal trade, to a maximum of $2,000.
The Canada Job Grant will take skills-training choices out of the hands of government and put them where they belong: in the hands of employers and Canadians who want to work. The Grant will provide $15,000 or more per person, including a maximum federal contribution of $5,000, plus matching contributions from provinces or territories, and employers. Businesses with a plan to train Canadians for an existing job or a better job will be eligible to apply for a Canada Job Grant. Upon full implementation, it is expected that nearly 130, 000 Canadians each year will be able to access the training.
Economic Action Plan 2013 announced measures to equip Canadians with the skills and training needed to support the skilled trades. These include:
- Introducing the new Canada Job Grant;
- working with the provinces and territories to harmonize apprenticeship training and certification requirements;
- supporting the use of apprentices in federally contracted construction and maintenance projects; and;
- providing support to groups that are under-represented in the job market, such as people with disabilities, youth, Aboriginal people and newcomers.
The Apprenticeship Completion Grant (ACG) is a $2,000 taxable cash grant for eligible apprentices who successfully complete their apprenticeship training and receive their journeyperson certification in a designated Red Seal trade. The ACG was announced as part ofCanada’s Economic Action Plan 2009.
As a result of these grants, apprentices who complete their apprenticeship training in a designated Red Seal trade and become certified journeypersons could be eligible to receive up to $4,000. To date, the Government of Canada has provided over $493 million in apprenticeship grants to Canadians to encourage them to become skilled tradespeople.
For more information about these initiatives, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca
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