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September 20, 2006 - NEWS RELEASE
BC Construction Industry Welcomes Skilled Guest Workers
Burnaby, B.C. – An innovative solution may soon be able to take some pressure off of British Columbia’s skilled labour shortage.
K + F Global Partners, a Dutch manpower supply firm, is coming to Canada, and they’re bringing skilled guest workers with them. The firm’s unique business model ensures fully trained workers arrive in Canada already able to communicate effectively and ready to work in areas where skilled tradespeople are most needed.
“K + F bring in crews, including a skilled foreman who speaks English. All of the tradespeople are also skilled workers, and we welcome these guest workers, who fill a need for skilled labour in our industry. This is a great idea, and it’s an idea whose time has come,” Independent Contractors and Businesses Association president Phil Hochstein said.
The construction industry is showing tremendous interest in K + F’s unique model, and even though there is fierce competition for skilled labour across the globe, European workers are interested in coming to work in Canada, Hochstein added. “There are a lot of skilled workers that want to come here. Canada’s where they want to be, and we need their skills, so it’s an excellent match,” he said.
K+F Global Partners are a temporary labour agency created specifically to address the shortage of workers in Canada. K+F Global Partners have established a network of regional centers with professional recruiters in Europe. The centers have access to an international pool of skilled trades for positions in the construction industry.
The trained construction workers have an apprenticeship status equal to Canadian standards and extensive work experience in European countries.
“We have workers from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom,” K +F housing and facilities manager Albertje Willems said.
K+F Global Partners arrange temporary work permits for short-term placement and has a job contract in place with the worker upon their arrival in Canada.
“K+F has global reach. Their approach isn’t unique in the world, but it’s new to Canada and British Columbia, and I think it’ll be a great help to us here in B.C., where there’s a tremendous demand for skilled labour. It’s a real opportunity both for the workers and for our industry,” Hochstein said.
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For further information, please contact:
Philip Hochstein, ICBA President
Office: 604.298.7795
Cell: 604.561.9402
Email: phillip@icba.bc.ca
Albertje Willems, K + F Global Partners
Phone: 604.833.1192
Email: albertjewillems@telus.net
| ICBA is the voice of BC's construction industry. For further information, or if you have any questions or comments regarding this article, please contact ICBA. |
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