NLIS 3
December 23, 2004
(Executive Council)

 

Reports will help form a human resources strategy for Cormack-Grenfell region

(Corner Brook) � The Cormack-Grenfell Region of the Rural Secretariat recently released four in-depth reports that will inform a human resources (HR) strategy for the area that extends from St. Anthony to Francois.

The reports - Expatriate Newfoundlanders and Labradorians Speak Out; Future Plans of High School Students Cormack-Grenfell; Future Plans of Post-secondary Education Students Cormack-Grenfell; and Future Plans of Adult Basic Education Students Cormack-Grenfell - provide detailed information on issues relevant to this region.

"The HR Strategy is our most ambitious project and we are extremely pleased to be able to provide this information," says June Alteen, chair of the Cormack-Grenfell Steering Committee. "Before embarking on this research we heard personal stories based on individual and business experiences from all over the region but we had no concrete facts to back up what people were saying. This research provides the sound evidence that we need. It gives educators, parents, employers and students a clear picture of what is happening in the Cormack-Grenfell Region."

In March 2002, the Cormack-Grenfell Regional Steering Committee for the Rural Secretariat � comprising stakeholders from numerous sectors, including health, education and economic development - established strategic directions for the region. One of those focused on strengthening human resource capital, in light of recent out-migration patterns and anticipated labour shortages. It was identified by several partner organizations that a lack of human resources planning, difficulty filling job vacancies and the aging workforce were concerns for this region. These concerns are now becoming realities and the need to develop a regional human resources strategy to address those issues is even more relevant.

"These reports contain information that will play a vital role for the region as it moves forward with the development of a comprehensive and coordinated human resources strategy," said Kathy Dunderdale, minister responsible for the Rural Secretariat. "I congratulate the committee and the partners on compiling this important piece of work."

As part of this objective, high school, post-secondary, adult basic education and expatriate Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were surveyed to gather details on topics that included education goals, career plans, knowledge of this province�s labour market and reasons for out-migration. The results have been compiled into four reports that were the focus of an eight-hour, live radio broadcast aired at Stephenville High School in September.

"The surveys produced some very surprising results; some of which we have already started to address," Ms. Alteen says. "We discovered, for example, that many students considering post-secondary education were not looking at career opportunities within this province. Without doing any research , students believed they would have to leave the province to find work. We passed that information on to our partner organizations who have started getting the message out. There are career opportunities in this region and province and the education provided here is as good, or better, than elsewhere. Graduates are recruited to work all over the world and people from all over the world come here to get an education."

Download Reports
    Expatriate Newfoundlanders and Labradorians Speak Out (PDF)
   
Future Plans of High School Students Cormack-Grenfell (PDF)
   
Future Plans of Post-secondary Education Students Cormack-Grenfell (PDF)
   
Future Plans of Adult Basic Education Students Cormack-Grenfell (PDF)

For more information on the reports, contact Doris Hancock, regional planner, at (709) 637-2937 or dhancock@gov.nl.ca

Media contact:
Lynn Evans
Rural Secretariat
(709) 729-4570 or (709) 690-6290

Connie Boland
Communications Officer
Rural Secretariat Cormack-Grenfell Region
(709) 639-3323

2004 12 23                   1:40 p.m.


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