Front Lines

FRONTLINES CTMA’s Career-Ready Program Helps Close Gap In MTDMA Sector And Assists Employers With Hiring Costs

The Canadian Tooling & Machining Association’s (CTMA’s) CareerReady program has been extended for another year.

First launched in 2019, this very successful program was designed to help close the skilled trades’ gap in the Machine, Tool, Die, Mould and Automation (MTDMA) sector in support of the auto manufacturing industry.

The Career-Ready with CTMA program will provide up to 240 Experiential Work Placements for co-op students or recent graduates from Ontario’s publicly assisted post-secondary institutions, as well as potential new apprentices.

Work placements will run for 10 to 16 weeks and consecutive placements are permitted within the program’s timeframe.

“The goal is to provide participants with real-world experience that improves their employability by building their knowledge and skills, while also supporting employers by contributing to the cost of hiring,” explains Robert Cattle, Executive Director, CTMA. “CareerReady is beneficial for employers seeking to fill positions relevant to the automotive industry, and for students looking for placements to gain practical workplace skills and experience.”

Eligible employers will receive $3,000 to $5,000 in funding for each work placement to assist with the cost of hiring, and can receive funding for up to 12 candidates.

Employers will be required to follow a list of industry-specific Technical Learning Outcomes and monitored visits will be conducted during the work placements — in-person or virtually. Employers must pay each candidate a wage of at least $14 per hour, for the duration of the placement.

“The Career-Ready program gave me the chance to further my knowledge in the mould making industry by working at Cavalier Tool & Manufacturing Ltd., and allowed me to continue in my postsecondary schooling without having to worry about the financial part of it,” says Kinyara King, a 2019 Career-Ready participant. “Without this funding, a lot of what I am doing now would not be possible. The Career-Ready program has helped me develop my skills and pursue my career.”

Career-Ready participant Kinyara King (on computer) shows the efficiency of the vertical Kardex storage system that Cavalier Tool & Manufacturing Ltd. uses to reduce order picking time and increase productivity, to the Canadian Minister of Middle-Class Prosperity, Mona Fortier, during a manufacturing tour of local facilities in January 2019. Also pictured is Cavalier Tool President Brian Bendig (back right) discussing his operation with Irek Kusmierczyk, MP Windsor-Tecumseh, pre-COVID-19, at his plant, 3450 Wheelton Drive in Windsor. Photo courtesy of Lori Kennedy.

Each candidate will work alongside experienced tradespeople, skilled workers and other professionals who will provide the opportunity to gain real world skills and knowledge. Upon successful completion, candidates may be offered permanent employment by the employer.

“Advantages of the Career-Ready program include the ability to assist in covering the costs of training new employees, encouraging our youth and new graduates into the industry, and the pride of promoting economic development in Ontario,” states Lori Kennedy of Cavalier Tool’s accounting department. “CareerReady not only helps address these needs, but also the obligations we have as good corporate citizens to perpetuate skilled trades and manufacturing. Given the growth that Cavalier Tool (CavalierTool.com) has had over the last few years, this incentive is appreciated and has helped us fill the skills gap the industry is experiencing.”

The Career-Ready program runs until March 31, 2021. Employers who hired students, recent grads, or new apprentices after April 1, 2020, can receive retroactive funding. You can learn more about the program by visiting: CTMA.com.

Ready, Set, Go . . . Fetch Me A Moto!

Jesse Thompson and Brett Hayes are hoping to eliminate the time and frustration faced by drivers seeking to buy a new or used vehicle.

They launched Fetch Moto in midJune, a website that connects consumers seeking specific options on their vehicles and a price they are willing to pay, with salespersons and automotive dealerships willing to make a deal.

“Anyone who has ever bought a car has gone through the hassle of searching out what they want and then dealing with a salesperson who invariably goes away to ‘check with his/her manager’ before coming back and making the deal,” explains Thompson. “Our website eliminates all that and puts together people who are motivated to make a deal.”

Thompson claims that studies have shown the average consumer takes at least 15 hours and as long as 95 days identifying their ideal vehicle.

“It’s not an enjoyable experience for a vast number of the vehicle-buying public,” Thompson believes.

The website has been in development since December and recently launched with eight dealerships enrolled in the program.

An enhanced feature since the original concept was launched allows consumers to email specific salespeople and dealerships, even those not currently enrolled, in search of the perfect vehicle.

Dealers are allowed five free bids and then must pay for an annual subscription, which works out to $479 a month or a month-by-month subscription at $599.

It’s free to consumers.

Thompson adds, “Consumers seem very excited about the concept and dealerships seem to be coming online as well because it provides them with top-quality leads from people already committed to buying a vehicle.”

Consumers are able to list between four and eight features along with a price they intend to pay and send it off to dealers who then respond with their best price.

Another advantage is that dealers can see other dealers’ bids, so they will be motivated to offer their best deal.

And while new vehicle sales are a large part of Fetch Moto’s business case, Thompson feels the used car market is where

When you play fetch with your dog you get your ball back, but with this new Windsor biz, you can get a car! And keeping in line with the idea of dogs, the company posts photos on their social media pages of happy buyers with their new moto and gives bonus points if the photo includes a puppy!

it would be most beneficial to consumers.

“There’s only so much wiggle room allowed by the original equipment manufacturers in new vehicle sales, whereas deals can often be made in the used vehicle marketplace,” states Thompson.

Thompson also points out the website can be beneficial to people not comfortable with the negotiating aspect of buying a new vehicle.

“I don’t think anyone is willing to pay full sticker price and they expect to negotiate, but they don’t really want to negotiate,” he expresses. “I also think millennials will appreciate the straightforward nature of our business because we allow consumers to cut to the chase very quickly.”

Thompson, who studied graphic design at St. Clair College, was a recent winner of an RBC-sponsored “EPIC Founders Pitch Day” competition for start-up companies with the EPICentre.

Fetch Moto was also named 2019’s “Tech Start-Up of the Year” by WEtech Alliance and the two partners were awarded $30,000 in seed money after being accepted into the “AC JumpStart” Accelerator Centre program funded by FedDev Ontario in partnership with the University of Guelph, University of Waterloo and Waterloo’s Conestoga College.

For more information, visit their website: FetchMoto.com.

FRONTLINES With COVID-19 taking a temporary bite out of vehicle sales, Ben St. Jean has “I learned a great deal about administration and it’s helped me run Follow The Scent Trail To Clean With Bloodhound Janitorial And Deodorizing Needs © CanStock Photo/adogslifephoto pivoted and returned to his company’s Bloodhound,” says St. Jean. On the cleaning side of Bloodhound, forté, which is providing heavy cleaning The company has three different St. Jean uses products (a new one by services to retail and commercial deodourizing options — a plug-in home Cartier Chemicals) which can be diluted operations across Windsor Essex. fragrance system, which holds four wafers 10-to-1 and still produce an effective

The owner of Bloodhound Odour and covers 1,200 to 1,500 square feet; disinfectant sanitizer. Protection Services says he had between a battery operated unit for trailers, boats “We’ve pivoted and increased this 55 and 60 dealership lined up to purchase and RVs; and an aroma beam unit that side of our services as businesses fragrance wafers, which are used in allows users to develop their own scent seek to return to normal,” he states. vehicles to eradicate odours. in offices, hotel lobbies, gymnasiums, “Our cleaning products are incredibly ”Instead, we are focusing our cleaning banquet halls and larger homes. efficient and provide our customers with services on 13 grocery stores and other The wafers are three inches by three top-rate sanitizing.” retail businesses, which are paying the inches and hold 4.5 ounces in a variety Bloodhound provides retail floor care, bills right now,” explains St. Jean, who of fragrances. They last up to four or five office cleaning, janitorial management, has more than 20 years experience in the weeks, depending on where they are used. carpet cleaning, window washing, cleaning business. St. Jean informs Biz X that the wafers construction cleanup, high dusting and

Before launching Bloodhound seven years are entirely safe because they’re not in a washroom deodourizing to a variety ago, St. Jean worked in a food warehouse liquid form and consequently there’s no of clients in the grocery, commercial, before switching to cleaning services at a leakage or spillage from the units. industrial, health care, educational, variety of companies. He took a six year Chatham Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram institutional and retail sectors. hiatus to work in human resources before quickly became his first customer and he’s For more information, visit: returning to the janitorial sector where he since added dealerships across Canada, as BloodhoundOPS.com or the website: put his new skills to good use. well as in Detroit and California. PurFreshSystem.com.

Career-Ready with CTMA

Career-Ready will provide up to 240 Experiential Work Placements for co-op students and recent graduates from Ontario's publicly-assisted post-secondary institutions, as well as potential new apprentices.

EMPLOYERS:

Manufacturers that contribute to the automotive supply chain can receive $3,000 to $15,000, per candidate hired for skilled manufacturing roles. Multiple, consecutive placements are permitted. Employers can receive funding for up to 12 candidates.

CO-OP STUDENTS, GRADUATES & POTENTIAL NEW APPRENTICES:

Gain practical workplace skills and experience that will help launch your future career. Upon successful completion, you may be oered permanent employment by your host employer.

Join the CTMA today, and get access to all the member-only benefits.

Help train the next generation of workers.

For more information, visit ctma.com, or contact rcattle@ctma.com, or info@ctma.com.

Photo credit: Shutterstock.com