Hiring youth workers for manufacturing positions can be costly. With significant training and onboarding expenses that exceed the investment required with experienced labourers, the costs of recruiting youth workers can often outweigh its benefits. Still, employing apprentices and interns is an excellent strategy to overcome talent gaps. Manufacturers need to know how to incorporate a…
Communitech, based in Waterloo, Ontario, is a public-private innovation hub that supports tech businesses as they start, grow, and prosper. Their accelerator program, Fierce Founders Accelerator, is intended to provide companies with tools and resources to scale up their business. One of the program’s eligibility criteria is that the company has at least one female…
During international business travel it’s critical to abide to different customs and cultures. Read these business etiquette tips on topics.
The Canadian Federal Budget 2018 was released last week to much interest from business leaders and industry analysts. This year, innovation was again a top priority of the federal government, highlighted by the increase in funding support for several research and development funds. Unlike the previous two Liberal budgets, however, there will be considerable changes…
For over 15 years, the Canadian government has used agriculture policy frameworks to enhance the competitiveness of agriculture and agri-food companies. The latest active framework, Growing Forward 2 (GF2), provides cost-sharing support to businesses within the agricultural sector through several support programs. Growing Forward 2 is a five-year (2013-2018) framework that will, as of April…
The government of Ontario has recently supported 12 collaborative projects between businesses and healthcare institutions to commercialize innovative medical technologies. Through the Health Technologies Fund (HTF), each research project will receive Ontario government grants to develop, test, and integrate cutting-edge technologies into provincial health care institutions. Health Technologies Fund will provide up to $5.5M in…
Hiring and training apprentices is a great way to build your team of qualified tradespeople. In Ontario, employers have numerous supports to help recruit and train apprentices. These incentives should be used whenever possible to offset labour costs and grow your team of high-quality employees. One of the best incentives for employers is the Graduated…
As Canadian businesses become more innovative and technology-driven, employers are finding it increasingly difficult to find the skilled workers they require. Most industries are feeling the effects of this widening skills gap, perhaps few more than the manufacturing sector where upwards of 35% believe they do not have sufficient talent. These gaps will continue to…
Canada’s advanced technology sector is facing a shortage of technical talent and immediate action is needed to reduce this labour gap. With so much growth in emerging industries, including software engineering and web development, companies need qualified personnel who can develop and use these technologies in innovative ways. If this shortage in technical skills talent…
Developing value-added products and services is critical to Canada’s knowledge economy and competitiveness. More than ever, startups and early-stage businesses are being called on to support innovation and respond to new consumer/market preferences. Because of the rising demand for new consumer products, Canadian startups should focus on finding and establishing themselves within this market. Thankfully,…