On Saturday, May 7th, Aéro Montréal held VITRINES 2022 at the Montreal Science Centre – the first in-person event in Montréal to take place in the past two years with a focus on aerospace employment and training.
Supported financially by the government of Québec, the Québec aerospace cluster announced the launching of the Knowledge Transfer initiative to help discover the numerous career opportunities available in the industry. VITRINES brings together the public, businesses, schools, and training centres in this sector.
“I am proud that our government is supporting the event. Indeed, the aerospace industry is essential and a pillar of Québec’s international outreach,” said Jean Boulet, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity, Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration and Minister responsible for the Mauricie region. “In this field also, businesses must open their doors to all talents: only by focusing on the integration of all available people will the aerospace industry succeed and keep its momentum!”
As Canada’s population ages, the pressure on the industrial sector is increasing. With a large number of retirements expected in the next few years and a shortage of workers in the industry, Aéro Montréal set up concrete solutions to support businesses. One of these solutions is the Knowledge Transfer Initiative (“KTI”), aimed at developing and implementing a digital platform to ensure knowledge transfer within companies. The platform will essentially allow companies to identify critical knowledge and encourage sharing of same among workers. Documentation of this approach will be developed to identify best practices and strategies for deploying it among other sectors. For Phase IV, this project is supported by $330,000 from the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Solidarity; $190,000 from the Regional Council for Employment; and $145,750 from Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation.
“The mastery, exploitation and updating of knowledge are the strategic foundations of our business competitiveness. Through the Knowledge Transfer project, the Québec aerospace cluster makes sure to equip our champions so that they can preserve all the expertise that has allowed Québec to stand out and be in 3rd place worldwide in the aerospace industry. This type of initiative also contributes to making the Greater Montréal area an attractive and unique territory for our next generation and improves Québec’s visibility in terms of its ability to build sustainable work environments,” said Audrey Murray, President of Conseil emploi métropole and of the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail.
Educational institutions and employers used the event to showcase programs, including professional, college, and university training, remote microprograms, credentials and skills recognition, as well as immediate employment opportunities. Additionally, Aéro Montréal launched a résumé clinic during the pandemic crisis to connect businesses’ needs and available talents on the market. Facilitation work continues on its official portal, AeroPortal, a central hub for numerous job postings in the industry.
VITRINES 5th edition also organized a large-scale student competition which joined students from various educational institutions. This year’s theme was “The aircraft of the future and its clean technologies“. This initiative was part of Aéro Montréal’s strategic plan to integrate the aerospace industry in their recovery context.
“Corporations in the Québec aerospace industry are fully committed to making every effort to strengthen the pool of skilled workers of tomorrow. They are deeply concerned about offering to the next generation accessible and profitable jobs driven by exciting projects in inclusive environments,” explained Suzanne M. Benoît, President, Aéro Montréal. “Integrating the aerospace industry in this recovery context is also about seizing the opportunity to play a key role in designing and manufacturing the aircraft of the future, which will allow us to build sustainable mobility for hundreds of thousands who will travel the world in the future.”
VITRINES 2022 was held in collaboration with the Montreal Science Centre and the Comité sectoriel de main-d’œuvre en aérospatiale (CAMAQ). The event was powered by their Gold partners: Airbus Canada, Bell Textron Canada Ltd, Bombardier, Pratt & Whitney Canada and Stelia Aéronautique Canada.
A strategic think tank, Aéro Montréal has been gathering major decision-makers in Québec’s aerospace sector since its conception in 2006. Aforementioned decision-makers include companies, educational and research institutions, and associations and unions.