Important Points

• Only one survey is to be completed per organization

• THE DEADLINE FOR SURVEY COMPLETION IS APRIL 30, 2010

• You may stop and re-start your survey at any time. If you wish to exit the survey before you have completed it, scroll to the end of the page and click the continue button or submit button. When you re-start the survey previously entered information will appear blank, but this information is not lost. You may change a previous answer by re-entering new information, or you can simply continue from where you left off.

• If you have any questions or require technical assistance, please contact Yvonne Morrison of MNP by phone at 204-336-6108 or by email to yvonne.morrison@mnp.ca.

Confidentiality

Meyers Norris Penny (MNP) is acting as an independent third party in this study. The results of the survey will be reported collectively and in aggregate with no ability to identify individual businesses. All information provided to Meyers Norris Penny, including completed surveys will be used only for the purpose of this study and will be retained by MNP until the final report has been accepted by MCSC. Upon acceptance, all information will be destroyed.

At Meyers Norris Penny LLP (MNP), we are committed to maintaining the security, confidentiality and accuracy of the personal information we collect, in order to provide the highest level of service to our clients. Our clients' trust is our most important asset and with that in mind, we developed comprehensive policies on Privacy and Confidentiality. Our privacy policy adheres to both the guidelines and principals underlying the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, as well as our own commitment to ensuring that clients are comfortable providing us with personal information. read our policy

1. Which Associations are you currently a member of? (check all that apply)

Construction Association of Rural Manitoba (CARM)   Construction Labour Relations Association of Manitoba   Manitoba Heavy Construction Association   Manitoba Home Builders' Association   MERIT Contractors Association of Manitoba   Winnipeg Construction Association

2. Please indicate the approximate percentage of work done by your organization in each of the construction industry sub-sectors (must add up to 100) Click here for definitions

Residential Home Building and Renovation (HBR)     Heavy Construction Industry ((HVY)     Industrial/Commercial/Institutional (ICI)     Total

3. Which of the following most accurately describes your organization's main role in the construction industry?

Independent Contractor/Self-Employed worker   Sub-contractor   Contractor   Construction Firm   Supplier   Other (please specify)

4. Are you a signatory to one of the 16 construction trade agreements?

Yes   No

5. Do you currently have employees participating in Apprenticeship?

yes   no  If no, why not?

6. Would you be willing to participate more in Apprenticeship?

Yes If yes, what is currently preventing more participation?   No If no, why not?

7. What is the number of actual employees who work in your organization (not sub-contract) on average throughout the year? Click here for definition

1-5   6-10   11-25   26-50   51-100   100+

8. What is the number of sub-contractors (individuals) who work for your organization on average throughout the year? Click here for definition

1-5   6-10   11-25   26-50   51-100   100+

9. Please indicate the number of employees in your organization by role on average throughout the year. Click here for definitions of roles

General/skilled labourer    Tradesperson    Supervisor    Administration/Management    Senior Management/Owner    Other (Please specify)

10. How many years has your organization been in operation in Manitoba?

11. Referring to the provincial map, please indicate in which region your head office is located.

Winnipeg   Eastern Region   South Central Region   Brandon   South Western Region   West Central Region   Northern Region

12. Please indicate the percentage of work performed in each region last year (must add up to 100%).

Winnipeg     Eastern Region     South Central Region     Brandon     South Western Region     West Central Region     Northern Region     Outside Manitoba     Total

Pre-employment can be defined as those basic skills and competencies required by potential employees to make them job-ready.

13. For each pre-employment skill listed please rate the importance/frequency of use and current skill level of New Hires in your organization, as well as whether you offer training in the skill area to new hires.  For homebuilders who do not employ general/skilled labourers or tradespeople directly, please answer this question based on your experience with sub-trades and sub-contractors.

14. In your opinion, who is responsible for pre-employment training? (check all that apply)

High School   Post Secondary Institution   Government   Industry Association   Employer   Union   Other

Essential Skills are defined as the skills needed for work, learning and life. They provide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to evolve with their jobs and adapt to workplace change. The 9 Essential Skills are used in nearly every occupation and throughout daily life in different ways and at different levels of complexity.

15. For each essential skill listed please rate the importance/frequency of use and current skill level of the General/Skilled Labourers and Tradespeople in your organization, as well as whether you offer training in these skill areas to these groups.  For homebuilders who do not employ General/Skilled Labourers or Tradespeople directly, please answer this question based on your experience with sub-trades and sub-contractors.

16. In your opinion, who is responsible for Essential Skills development? (check all that apply)

High School   Post Secondary Institution   Government   Industry Association   Employer   Union   Other

17. For each of the trend areas listed, please rate the importance/frequency of use and current skill level of the Supervisors & Managers in your organization, as well as whether you offer training in these skill areas to this group.

18. In your opinion, who is responsible for new trends skill development? (check all that apply)

High School   Post Secondary Institution   Government   Industry Association   Employer   Union   Other

Supervisors are those individuals who supervise one or more people directly involved in the hands-on work of construction. Typical titles include lead hand, foreman or general foreman.

19. For each of the supervisory functions or areas of responsibility listed, please rate the importance/frequency of use and current level of the Supervisors in your organization, as well as whether you offer training in these areas to this group. Click here for descriptions of functions

20. What methods do you use to identify potential supervisors among your employees? (check all that apply)

Results from a formal assessment (measurement of performance against required skills through testing or annual performance evaluations)   Length of time on the job   Anecdotal information regarding performance on the job (perception of existing supervisor regarding performance in general)   Other (please specify)

21. In your opinion who is responsible for supervisory skill development? (check all that apply)

High School   Post Secondary Institution   Government   Industry Association   Employer   Union   Other

22. For each of the administrative skill areas listed, please rate the importance/frequency of use and current skill level of the Administrative employees in your organization, as well as whether you offer training in these skill areas to this group.

23. In your opinion, who is responsible for administrative skill development? (check all that apply)

High School   Post Secondary Institution   Government   Industry Association   Employer   Union   Other (please specify)

24. For each of the skill areas listed, please rate the importance/frequency of use and current skill level of Managers in your organization (including owners), as well as whether you offer training in these skill areas.

25. In your opinion, who is responsible for management skills development? (check all that apply)

High School   Post Secondary Institution   Government   Industry Association   Employer   Other (please specify)        Section C - Current Situation 26. Generally, how far into the future does your organization plan for staffing and growth? (other than Apprenticeship)   1 week   1 month   to the end of current contract   6 months   1 year   More than 1 year   27. What are your current and future staffing needs? (enter anticipated number of vacancies to be filled for each role)   General/Skilled Labourer Tradesperson  Supervisor  Administration/Management   In the past year   Current vacancies    In the next 6 months   In the next year   In the next 3 years 28. Where do you plan to get your new employees? (check all that apply for each role)   General/Skilled Labourer Tradesperson  Supervisor  Administration/ Management Develop from current workforce Self-employed contractors Other employers in my industry New high school graduates New college graduates Through pre-employment programs Through other government initiatives (EI, new immigrants, aboriginal, etc.) Mergers with other construction firms Other (please specify)   29. What have been your reasons for recruiting new employees in the past year? (Rank your top 3, typing a 1 for the most frequent, a 2 for the 2nd and a 3 for the 3rd.)   New projects or business expansion     Employees retire    Employees leave (other than retirement)     Employees promoted     New skills required     Seasonal hiring     Other (please specify)   30. What kind of staffing difficulties has your company experienced? (Rank your top three, typing a 1 for the most frequent, a 2 for the 2nd most frequent and a 3 for the 3rd most frequent.)   Shortage of skilled general labourers     Shortage of skilled tradespeople    Can't compete with salaries of other organizations in your industry    Can't keep employees busy all year and continually need to let go and rehire    Personal suitability     Mobility issues (employees who won't or can't travel)     Language skills     Other (please specify)   31. For each group please rate the importance of training and your organization's effectiveness in meeting employee training needs. Click here for definition     Importance of Training   Effectiveness in meeting training needs Not Important   Extremely Important N/A   Ineffective   Very Effective N/A 1 2 3 4 5   1 2 3 4 5 New hire   Sub-contractor   General/skilled labourer   Tradesperson   Supervisor   Administration   Management/Owner   Other (please specify)     32. Have you invested (financial or time) in training for your employees in the past 12 months?   Yes   No