The WSCA is looking for expressions of interest from employers and employees in BC’s silviculture industry to sit as members of a proposed silviculture sector human resources strategy advisory committee. The volunteer committee would function as a working group to oversee and direct a program funded by the federal and provincial governments’ Labour Market Partnership Program. This proposed program, currently under negotiation with the WSCA, would develop and implement projects to conduct research, develop curricula and educate the forestry industry around human resource (HR) and workforce issues in the BC silviculture sector.
The WSCA is looking for expressions of interest from employers and employees in BC’s silviculture industry to sit as members of a proposed silviculture sector human resources strategy advisory committee. The volunteer committee would function as a working group to oversee and direct a program funded by the federal and provincial governments’ Labour Market Partnership Program. This proposed program, currently under negotiation with the WSCA, would develop and implement projects to conduct research, develop curricula and educate the forestry industry around human resource (HR) and workforce issues in the BC silviculture sector. Stated in the broadest terms, the purpose of the HR strategy would be to lay out and encourage practices that will continue the success of the silviculture sector in recruiting and retaining a high quality workforce and providing reliable services to both industry and government in forest eco-system restoration and enhancement.
The committee work is expected to extend over three to four years depending on the final elements of the strategy and their implementation. In the first year of the program, 2012, the committee will meet up to four times in Vancouver. Subsequent years may see a reduction of the frequency of meetings. The committee will pay for travel, accommodation and related expenses for the committee members. The committee will not be able to pay for committee members’ time spent in preparation, travel or attendance at the meetings. Meetings will be scheduled to take into account as much as possible the seasonal availability of participants given the field seasons for activities. The total work will equal about 60 hours of volunteer time per year.
Committee members will be chosen based on their personal and silviculture backgrounds; in particular, their ability and willingness to use that experience to appreciate the industry as a whole and its collective interest. Members will be asked to think strategically while working constructively with a group comprising various interests and perspectives. It will help if they can come to the committee work with a sense of mission or be prepared to develop one. That sense of mission should be built in part on a commitment to sustaining whatever it is that has made the silviculture a success to date and proposing what needs to adapt to continue that. Members will be asked to develop any special skills or understanding needed to appreciate how governments work, how the committee operates and how the silviculture industry functions. Members should find the proposed undertaking interesting. They should be prepared to do the required preparation, attend meetings and participate actively.
Please reply by sending a short summary (to the address below) of your relevant background experience and your involvement in the BC silviculture industry. State why you find this proposed project interesting and outline what traits and abilities you could bring to this undertaking to make it a success. If you have questions please send them as well to:
John Betts hotpulp@gmail.com Office: 250-229-4380 ********************************* Western Silvicultural Contractors’ Association #720 – 999 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1K5 Tel: (604) 736-8660 Fax: (604) 738-4080 Email: admin@wfca.ca Website: www.wfca.ca