Managed by EnerQuality, the OHBA Job Ready Program recruits, pre-screens, and qualifies prospective workers and provides the necessary training and skills development required by the Ministry of Labour.
Interested employers can hire these job-ready workers for a six-month, full-time paid placement, typically into non-unionized entry-level positions.
There is no cost to participate in the program. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is provided to all participants and employers could receive up to a $3,000 incentive (per hire) with the ability to convert participants to full-time employees at the end of their placement.
We caught up with David Calder from Blue Valley Building to learn how their Job Ready Hires helped them grow.
Blue Valley Building has evolved from its roots as a custom home builder to focus on revolutionizing the construction industry with its superior system for building homes using panelized wall systems and insulated wall forms, wall and floor systems.
What were your employees responsible for?
Job Ready participants worked both in the production facility and on site doing framing. “This is our second time with the OHBA Job Ready Program, so we've gone through two cohorts and quite a number of employees, and the vast majority have been really good, solid contributors to the team.”
How did the training participants received before their placement benefit you as an employer?
“Although almost all of our Job Ready employees had very limited experience in construction, they were open-minded and very safety conscious. These employees are really cognizant of the need to be detailed and take pride in their work.”
Calder notes that the program reduced the risk of bringing on a new employee because they had prior safety training like working at heights.
“We're very pleased with who we have now as a team and where we're pivoting as a company. We brought in a lot of inexperienced people at one time, so certainly the support and the online safety training accelerated our onboarding process.”
What was the most impactful part of the program for you?“
The company has found the program to be really beneficial and we look at it as a support mechanism for new employees.”
Looking to fill your entry level construction role quickly with a qualified candidate? Check out the OHBA Job Ready Program website to get started.
OHBA Job Ready Blog Series
Learn more about how we provide the most thorough pre-jobsite entry level training in the construction industry in our blog series:
