source: Farm and Food Report
Northern Steel Industries of Tisdale is growing.
The company manufactures above and below ground liquid storage tanks that are distributed throughout Canada and the United States. But recently, Northern Steel has experienced shortages of skilled employees to address the needs of its customers.
The company opted to look at Ukraine for its labour requirements, according to Human Resources Manager Walter Garchinski.
“We advertised and tried to encourage people to move to rural Saskatchewan — more specifically to Tisdale. We soon realized we had to look outside of our Northeast region; outside of Saskatchewan; and outside of Canada. Our local contacts informed us that there was an abundant supply of skilled workers in Ukraine willing to move here. We also were aware that the work ethics of people from Ukraine are very strong.”
In September last year, Garchinski, his wife Jean, the Northern Steel shift supervisor and a Government of Saskatchewan representative all traveled to Kiev, with a view to test a total of 43 welders. Garchinski provided offers of employment to 21 of these individuals.
“This was a fascinating experience. The testing of their skills was carried out at the Paton Welding Institute in Kiev. While my shift supervisor was testing them, I interviewed them with the help of an interpreter. Some were quite fluent in English; others had a very limited command of the language.”
The candidates had been pre-screened by the Kiev Youth Labour Centre.
“Before we left Kiev, we were able to inform the candidates who were chosen that we were inviting them to join our employee base in Tisdale, with their spouses. The first group of six arrived on March 9, followed by another group of five on March 30. Eight more are due to arrive on May 8,” Garchinski explained as he prepared to leave for Kiev again on April 24 to recruit more welders and four industrial painters.
“The wives and children of these new employees will join them six to eight months after they arrive. The delay is to make sure they have adjusted well, and to minimize the stress on the families.”
Garchinski notes that the new employees are doing well.
“We have arranged for accommodations for everyone. Our local communities have been extremely generous with their donations of dishes, furniture, cutlery, beds and everything. The response has been just incredible throughout the Northeast, to the point we have not had to buy anything to prepare for their arrival.”
One of the reasons the process seems to go so smoothly is the level of candidate preparation that goes on at the Kiev Youth Labour Centre in light of their future work assignment in Canada.
“They learn about mig flux core welding. All the candidates were trained through the Paton Welding Institute to help them qualify for their International Welder’s Certificate. My shift supervisor described the type of welding skills that were required at our plant in Tisdale, and the Paton Institute trained the candidates to meet these requirements.”
The Institute provided English language training and taught the candidates how to read Northern Steel’s blueprints. The candidates and their families were also taught some basic knowledge about Saskatchewan, Canada and Tisdale.
“They needed to have some general idea of what life would be like in Canada for them. There was even a psychologist preparing the families for being apart for six to eight months and the adjustments that would be required when moving to a foreign country. Without the quality of preparation that goes on there, we could never have been this successful. It does guarantee a high probability of success.”
When asked why a country like Ukraine would be so eager to export its skilled workforce abroad, Garchinski answers: “There is simply a surplus of skilled labourers looking for work in Ukraine. The Kiev Youth Labour Centre also provides employees to the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy. Northern Steel is the first employer in Canada to use their services. They are involved in a number of sectors, such as agriculture and nursing - even in training mushroom pickers and horseback riders. It is a very solid organization. We are confident that we have made the right decision.”
For more information, contact:
Walter Garchinski
Northern Steel
(306) 873-4531
Northern Steel Industries of Tisdale is growing.
The company manufactures above and below ground liquid storage tanks that are distributed throughout Canada and the United States. But recently, Northern Steel has experienced shortages of skilled employees to address the needs of its customers.
The company opted to look at Ukraine for its labour requirements, according to Human Resources Manager Walter Garchinski.
“We advertised and tried to encourage people to move to rural Saskatchewan — more specifically to Tisdale. We soon realized we had to look outside of our Northeast region; outside of Saskatchewan; and outside of Canada. Our local contacts informed us that there was an abundant supply of skilled workers in Ukraine willing to move here. We also were aware that the work ethics of people from Ukraine are very strong.”
In September last year, Garchinski, his wife Jean, the Northern Steel shift supervisor and a Government of Saskatchewan representative all traveled to Kiev, with a view to test a total of 43 welders. Garchinski provided offers of employment to 21 of these individuals.
“This was a fascinating experience. The testing of their skills was carried out at the Paton Welding Institute in Kiev. While my shift supervisor was testing them, I interviewed them with the help of an interpreter. Some were quite fluent in English; others had a very limited command of the language.”
The candidates had been pre-screened by the Kiev Youth Labour Centre.
“Before we left Kiev, we were able to inform the candidates who were chosen that we were inviting them to join our employee base in Tisdale, with their spouses. The first group of six arrived on March 9, followed by another group of five on March 30. Eight more are due to arrive on May 8,” Garchinski explained as he prepared to leave for Kiev again on April 24 to recruit more welders and four industrial painters.
“The wives and children of these new employees will join them six to eight months after they arrive. The delay is to make sure they have adjusted well, and to minimize the stress on the families.”
Garchinski notes that the new employees are doing well.
“We have arranged for accommodations for everyone. Our local communities have been extremely generous with their donations of dishes, furniture, cutlery, beds and everything. The response has been just incredible throughout the Northeast, to the point we have not had to buy anything to prepare for their arrival.”
One of the reasons the process seems to go so smoothly is the level of candidate preparation that goes on at the Kiev Youth Labour Centre in light of their future work assignment in Canada.
“They learn about mig flux core welding. All the candidates were trained through the Paton Welding Institute to help them qualify for their International Welder’s Certificate. My shift supervisor described the type of welding skills that were required at our plant in Tisdale, and the Paton Institute trained the candidates to meet these requirements.”
The Institute provided English language training and taught the candidates how to read Northern Steel’s blueprints. The candidates and their families were also taught some basic knowledge about Saskatchewan, Canada and Tisdale.
“They needed to have some general idea of what life would be like in Canada for them. There was even a psychologist preparing the families for being apart for six to eight months and the adjustments that would be required when moving to a foreign country. Without the quality of preparation that goes on there, we could never have been this successful. It does guarantee a high probability of success.”
When asked why a country like Ukraine would be so eager to export its skilled workforce abroad, Garchinski answers: “There is simply a surplus of skilled labourers looking for work in Ukraine. The Kiev Youth Labour Centre also provides employees to the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy. Northern Steel is the first employer in Canada to use their services. They are involved in a number of sectors, such as agriculture and nursing - even in training mushroom pickers and horseback riders. It is a very solid organization. We are confident that we have made the right decision.”
For more information, contact:
Walter Garchinski
Northern Steel
(306) 873-4531
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