Work-Integrated Learning program provides talent pipeline to jobs in vital trucking sector

Think about the trucking and transportation sector, and your first thought is likely of a driver steering a big rig along a road somewhere, hauling goods and supplies from place to place.

Of course, those drivers are hardly the only ones involved. Go a little deeper and you’ll find plenty more people working in all kinds of capacities to support not just truck drivers themselves, but all aspects of this critical sector, from jobs in sales and marketing to accounting and information technology roles.

Trucking HR Canada is a national nonprofit that supports transportation and logistics employers. Through its Career ExpressWay Program, Trucking HR is introducing young job seekers to some of those more unfamiliar roles in transportation, while also connecting talent-hungry employers with the workers they so badly need.

The program has several streams, one of which helps employers access wage subsidy funding from the federal Student Work Placement Program to facilitate Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities for post-secondary students in a variety of non-driver roles in the transportation sector. More than 500 students have participated in placements since Trucking HR’s program began in 2021.

“One of the more acute issues we’re facing as a sector is a labour shortage,” said Vincent Custode, Director of Stakeholder Relations at Trucking HR. “Forty per cent of the employers we work with tell us they’re either concerned or extremely concerned about their ability to attract talent in non-driving positions. A big reason for that is young people don’t think of us as much as a sector in terms of what we can offer. Through the student placement stream of our Career ExpressWay Program, we’ve been able to showcase to young people the breadth and variety of opportunities for work in a sector that really is involved in every facet of the economy.”

‘There’s literally no part of the economy that isn’t…impacted by transportation and logistics.’

It’s tough to overstate the importance of trucking and transportation when it comes to economic activity in Canada. According to recent research from Trucking HR published by the C.D. Howe Institute, more than $850 billion dollars in goods are trucked across the country every year.

“It’s the difference between getting groceries on the shelves and not, getting medicine, getting critical supplies to our hospitals, putting gas in our tanks,” Custode said. “There’s literally no part of the Canadian economy that isn’t  directly or indirectly impacted by transportation and logistics.”

However, labour shortages pose a significant threat to this vital sector, leading to fears of further disruption for businesses and consumers, both of whom have already dealt with pandemic-related supply chain problems and rising costs fuelled by inflation. 

Viewed through that lens, it’s easy to see the value in connecting employers with talented youth and using WIL to provide a chance to learn, grow, and access career opportunities.

“Employers in our sector have seen this as an opportunity for them to take advantage of a program that fills a very short term labor need,” Custode said. “But the lightbulb moment for many is ‘I get an opportunity to reach into school, bring on a young person who’s hungry, who’s engaged, who’s bringing really innovative ideas, train them up, and in many cases, turn them into a full time employee once they graduate.’ It’s certainly been an opportunity for the employers to really build that pipeline of talent right into the organization from school.”

‘Young people can add a lot with how they think and how they work’

Rob Aronson, Programs Lead at Light Speed Logistics in Calgary, said his company has seen the benefit of giving opportunities to students.

“The new generation tends to be more entrepreneurial and innovative, so they bring that mindset which is needed for a growing company,” Aronson said. “Young people can add a lot with how they think and how they work.”

For Aronson, WIL placements are also a way for his business to increase its resilience amid challenging economic circumstances.

“With the incredible experience we’ve had with Trucking HR Canada so far, we definitely know that we’re going to find every opportunity to continue in this direction and try to maximize opportunities to bring in more young people in different departments,” he said.

Custode said feedback from employers and students who’ve participated in WIL placements through the Career ExpressWay Program has been “overwhelmingly positive,” with 97 per cent of workers reporting they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience.

The program has also helped increase gender and racial diversity in the sector. Nearly a third of students placed through the program identified as visible minorities.

“We’ve seen fantastic participation from what we would call historically underrepresented groups within our sector,” Custode said. “Women make up only 15 per cent of the sector, but over 40 per cent of all the participants coming through this program have been women, or those who identify as women.”

Given the success they’ve seen so far, Custode said Trucking HR hopes to offer even more WIL placements in the future.

“We’re really excited to continue to grow this program,” he said. “We’re seeing really great momentum in terms of creating exposure that this is a sector that’s very open and hungry for young talent.”

Magnet is one of several Student Work Placement Program partners across Canada who represent various industries. Outcome Campus Connect, developed in partnership with Orbis, will connect eligible employers to an appropriate delivery partner based on availability of funding and industry, and direct you to the relevant application process. Click here to learn more.