Competitiveness and Leveraging Opportunities from Our Challenged Engineering Work Force (October 3, 2008)

The Ottawa Chapter of Professional Engineers Ontario jointly with the IEEE Ottawa Section Technology Management Council cordially invites you to attend a special information session. The event will provide our audience with a unique learning opportunities in HOW TO maintain your company’s competitiveness and HOW TO leverage the skills of Canadian engineering workers who may be challenged when seeking employment: older, younger, immigrants and under employed engineers. 

Our keynote speakers are: Ms. Lisa MacLeod MPP, Dr. Linda Manning, Ms. D. Lynne Watt, Mr. Gilles Bérubé, and           Mr.Norm Sterling MPP.

Date:   Friday, October 3, 2008

Time:  07:30 am to 08:00 a.m. - Registration, Coffee and Networking

Presentation :

·           08:00-08:15 Introduction PEO GLP and IEEE TMC

·           08:15-08:30 Present political realities Lisa MacLeod, MPP

·           08:30-09:00 Linda Manning “Innovative Learning Project” 

The HRDC funded project is designed to help employers reframe their management practices to insure that personnel capabilities and experience are fully leveraged to maximize the organization’s potential. A talent management strategy is needed to insure that management professionals are retained, the retired management professionals’ position are filled and the highly skilled and professional immigrants who have capabilities, experience, and credentials are considered for promotion.

·           09:00-09:30 D. Lynne Watt “Employment and Labour Law Issues”

Lynne will review immigration and cross-border issues, focusing on special provisions with respect to high tech workers. Will also present contract law issues and how employers can tailor existing employment relationships to maximize retention and to provide flexibility in hiring.

·           09:30-10:00 30 Gilles Bérubé “Canada's Labour Market”

Key results of labour market projections covering the decade 2008 - 2017. These projections focus on the level, skills composition and sources of labour demand and labour supply in Canada. They are used to identify whether imbalances between demand and supply could emerge or persist among specific occupations or among broad skill levels. The projections are prepared with the forecasting models of the Canadian Occupational Projections System.

·           10:00 -10:15 Overview and way ahead from Norm Sterling, P.Eng., MPP

·               10:15-10:30 Round Table Discussion and Questions.

Event Location: Air Force Officers' Mess, 158 Gloucester St Ottawa

Price: $15 (Free to PEO and IEEE members).

Contact: Wenqin_shao@yahoo.ca  or 613 954-6125.  

Note: Space is limited for this event; so please confirm your attendance before September 23, 2008.

Presenter’s Bio:

Lisa MacLeod at the age of 31 became the youngest member of the Ontario Legislature in the 38th Parliament.  Lisa has served as the Official Opposition Critic for Children and Youth Services, and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.  In 2008, Lisa became the Official Opposition Critic for Government and Consumer Services, and appointed as Vice-Chair of the Public Appointments Committee. Lisa MacLeod was born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia and she is a graduate of St.Francis Xavier University. http://www.lisamacleod.com/en/

Linda Manning is President of Leadership Mosaic, Inc., dedicated to development of inclusive talent management strategies for Canadian employers through innovative learning solutions.   She is also an adjunct professor of economics and senior researcher at the University of Ottawa.  Educated in the U.S., she holds a doctorate in International Economics.  She has over 15 years’ academic, industry, and training experience, with a strong background in training the trainer, having served 8 years as a consultant with the Educational Testing Service in the U.S.  She currently leads a multi-million dollar project funded by HRSDC and hosted at the University of Ottawa designed to facilitate and foster organizational growth in the face of the impending skills gap.

D. Lynne Watt is a partner at Gowlings.  Her practice includes employment litigation, wrongful dismissal, and discrimination and disability rights complaints, as well as commercial litigation. She advises employers, in both unionized and non-unionized workplaces, on employment-related policies, agreements, and hiring and termination issues. For further details, you can see her full bio at: http://www.gowlings.com/professionals/professional.asp?profid=1221

Gilles Bérubé is Director of the Labour Market Research and Forecasting Division in the Strategic Policy and Research Branch at Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC). Prior to that position, he was Director of the Workplace, Skills and Productivity Division in the same department. Before joining HRSDC in 2000, Mr. Bérubé worked in economic analysis and forecasting in several departments at the Bank of Canada. Mr. Bérubé holds a Master's in Economics (Université du Québec à Montréal).

Norm Sterling was elected as a Member of Provincial Parliament for the ninth time on October 10, 2007.  He is currently PC Critic for Intergovernmental Affairs and is Chair of the Public Accounts Committee. He has had many other responsibilities during his 30 years as an MPP, including serving as Minister of Consumer and Business Services, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Government House Leader, and Minister of the Environment and Energy.  Norm earned a Bachelor of Engineering (civil) from Carleton University in 1964. He received a law degree from the University of Ottawa in 1969 and was called to the Bar in 1971. He was named Queen's Counsel in 1981.  For full info visit: http://www.normsterling.com/bio.htm