Job Ready Workers Filling the Gaps

Job seekers matched with entry-level placements at OHBA member companies in second year of program

The Ontario Home Builders’ Association’s Job Ready program offers an innovative, industry-led solution for labour challenges, matching the entry-level roles of construction industry employers with eager Job Ready employees, as well as the support services to assist both.

The home building and renovation industry is striving to bring in large numbers of new hires. An expanded skilled labour force grows from a sizable pool of new entrants with industry exposure and basic skills. OHBA understands that, as an industry, builders and contractors share responsibility for expanding our workforce. Through the Job Ready program, OHBA is providing a welcoming work environment where individuals are able to experience the construction industry, learn basic skills and begin to build a career through paid job placements. Additionally, ongoing retention supports have been put in place to ensure their longterm success in the construction field.

In its second year of funding by the Ontario Skills Development Fund, the program has made adjustments that are driving broader employer participation and increased employee retention, while experimenting with options to continue to identify and address opportunities to grow our labour force.

“We are in the midst of a housing crisis, and in order to accommodate our expected population growth, we need to build 1.5 million homes in the next 10 years,” says OHBA CEO Luca Bucci, “The OHBA Job Ready program is working to ensure that we are building a sustainable workforce, allowing us to reach these ambitious targets. We are proud to have EnerQuality as a delivery agent on this important initiative.”

OHBA members and other industry employers have shown that they are part of the solution to workforce challenges. From high-rise builders to landscaping sub-contractors, the construction industry is well represented. With Human Resources functions stretched thin at some companies, the Job Ready program has made it easier and more cost effective for companies to find motivated workers for entry-level roles.

“With the struggles to find skilled tradespeople these days, we’re glad to help new workers get their start in the construction industry,” says Sammi Khachi of Khachi Design + Build. “The program helped us onboard and train a great candidate and we’re so pleased to watch them develop skills to build a career in construction.”

The program is providing more prepared workers to the industry and is continually looking at ways to provide additional skills in the pre-employment period.

The second year of the program has seen continued improvements over the first offering. Clear expectation setting with participants, an in-depth orientation to the industry and practical tool skills have built program retention to where over 90% of trained and matched participants are currently in or have completed the sixmonth program.

“Building on last year’s learnings, we’re making matches quicker between employees and employers, and rounding out the employees’ skills and training so they can be safe and productive on site from day one,” says Monica Curtis, president and CEO of EnerQuality, managing organization for the Job Ready program. “We’re also digging into specific challenges like transportation, with research projects testing solutions to address barriers to entry-level employee retention.”

While the majority of positions are considered entry-level roles, many roles are with organizations that provide a path to a career in the residential construction industry.

“I’ve learned something new every day since I joined the program in 2022,” says Idrish Patel, a Job Ready employee with Brinks Property Services. “The company put me with a great team for on-the-job learning and I plan on building a career in construction.”

Find out more about the program online, check out the FAQ or call the OHBA Job Ready employer recruitment team at (437) 263-3487.