Project Overview
PROJECT DELIVERABLE
To maximize local employment opportunities related to the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the LEPC has created an employment timeline tool that publicly tracks and shares job postings and acts as a catalyst for workforce development with local employment and education partners.
Project Timeline
April 1, 2019 to September 30, 2019
Project Status – COMPLETED
We are pleased to share the new Gordie Howe International Bridge Timeline tool with the community. This new data tool shares job postings, workforce development opportunities, key project milestones, and the number of people trained to access the site on a zoomable timeline. This tool will be able to document when certain kinds of labour was needed for the project and can display events/milestones in the future, as well.
To view the completed deliverable click below:
Project Rationale:
The construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge will be the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America and one of the largest construction projects in Canada, requiring approximately 2,300 workers to build and operate it. In addition, the new bridge will create potential economic spin-off jobs and opportunities for related sectors and the communities that surround it, making it a pinnacle economic development project for our community.
Building on the success of the bridge projects in LEPC 1 and 3, the LEPC will create a first-of-its-kind online tool that will share information about the construction timeline, employment milestones, and job postings with the public. This tool will make it easier for our community to track, find, research and apply for bridge jobs. This new tool will build on our past LEPC work because it will also share our Bridge Jobs Guide, our workforce Wednesday blogs and videos through an innovative tool that will make it one of the most viewed webpages on our website. In 2018, the bridge jobs page on our website was the 2nd highest visited webpage with 7,300 page views and an average time on page in excess of 7 minutes per visitor. The tool will track past and current job postings, making it easier for people to find the right job at the right time. The tool will also be able to share upcoming labour needs identified by Bridging North America, before job postings are made public, enabling the LEPC to work with community organizations to take advantage of forecasted labour needs with responsive training and upskilling programs.
Through community engagement and the dissemination of bridge-related local labour market information, the LEPC will continue to work with all partners in the employment, training, and education sectors to maximize employment opportunities for local workers. In the agreement Bridging North America (BNA) signed with the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), BNA must provide funding for community benefits. Workforce WindsorEssex has been participating in neighbourhood-level discussions since the beginning. The employment timeline tool would help keep track of these obligations in a way that makes it easy for the community to track. Also, the development of this tool could be useful in future large infrastructure projects such as the new hospital.
Our existing relationships with the WDBA, BNA, LIUNA Local 625, the Carpenters Union, the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board’s Construction Academy, and others, will be critical to this project’s success.
All bridge related job postings will continue to be shared through WEjobs, WEmap and WEexplore, in addition to the new Bridge timeline tool.
Project Contact:
Corey Shenken, Project Coordinator & Researcher
226-674-3220 ext. 858
