14 September 2016

PRESS RELEASE – This morning, in the company of more than 100 economic, political, and school representatives, Sherbrooke Innopole launched the third edition of the Industry Open House (Portes ouvertes sur l’industrie) and has revealed the businesses that will be participating. The event, which showcases Sherbrooke’s industrial sector, will take place on October 14 and 15 2016. Its main objective is to help match vocational training to employment opportunities.

The number of companies that will open their doors to the public has increased compared to the last edition, and more educational institutions have been invited to visit these companies.

The 2016 cohort includes 18 companies:
AFT (Aikawa), Jardi Food, Animat, Artopex, Ball Advanced Technologies, Calimacil, Cuisine Idéale, Défi Polyteck, Englobe, Industries G.E. Gilbert, FSM Canada, Milan Conception, NAD Klima, Sherbrooke OEM, SIB (Surplec Industriel Basse tension), Supermétal, TLD Canada and Verbom.

Behind: Serge Trépanier (SIB), René St-Amant (Artopex), Michel Morin (Luc Fortin representative), Christian Provencher (Commission scolaire Eastern Townships), Daniel Lauzon (NAD Klima), Nathalie Leclerc (Supermétal), Pierre Bélanger (Maison régionale de l’industrie), Katia Johnson (FSM Canada), Alain Brasseur (Sherbrooke OEM), Guy Couture (Animat) / Front: Serge Sylvain (Défi Polyteck), Nathalie Savard (Verbom), Chantal Lavoie (Ball Technologies), Gilles Normand (Commission scolaire de la Région-de-Sherbrooke), Maxime Busseau (Jardi Food), Josée Fortin (Sherbrooke Innopole),  Josée Deshaies (Milan Conception), Jani Morin (AFT Aikawa), Pascale Leblond (Industries GE Gilbert), Raphael Proulx (Cuisine Idéale), Mickael Kreitman (Calimacil)

» See all press conference pictures

» See the video with all participating organizations

Created by Sherbrooke Innopole in 2014, the Industry Open House enables students, job seekers, and the general public to discover innovative companies that are generally not open to the public, while providing concrete support to manufacturing businesses in their efforts to address recruitment challenges.

“The manufacturing sector has been experiencing a labour shortage in several trades for a number of years, while training programs related to these positions do not attract enough students,” stated Josée Fortin, Sherbrooke Innopole’s Director General. “The core of our mission is to support the growth of industrial businesses, so we have developed this event with our institutional and economic partners. This formula has proven to be such a success that we are repeating the event for a third consecutive year.”

The 2015 edition welcomed nearly 3000 visitors over two days and helped fill 12 of the 33 jobs posted, while filling the candidate databases of the 16 participating companies. In addition, 78% of the visitors stated that their opinion of the manufacturing sector had improved following their visit, while 48% of youth said that the event had sparked their interest in careers in this sector.

For Christian Provencher, Director General of the Eastern Townships School Board, it is a very positive sign. “At a time when the school dropout rate is still too high, it is important that youth know about career opportunities that they haven’t necessarily considered. Vocational and technical training institutions offer programs that lead to jobs that are not only in demand but also offer excellent conditions.”

It is also about helping the public rediscover a sector that has undergone a transformation. “Technology and innovation have become a key part of our manufacturing companies over the past 20 years,” stated Pierre Bélanger, President of the Maison régionale de l’industrie. “They now manufacture niche and high value-added products; use innovative processes, which are advanced technological manufacturing processes; and employ many specialized workers.”

The event, which is completely free to the general public, schools, and participating businesses, is organized by Sherbrooke Innopole, in partnership with Emploi-Québec Estrie, the Cégep de Sherbrooke, the Eastern Townships School Board, the Commission scolaire de la Région-de-Sherbrooke, the Chambre de commerce de Sherbrooke, and the Maison régionale de l’industrie, as well as Karine Vallières and Luc Fortin, MNAs for Richmond and Sherbrooke.

Much like the previous editions, each day of the event will welcome a different clientele. Friday, October 14 is reserved for school tours. Secondary 3 and 4 students and vocational and technical training students will have the opportunity to meet employees and interact with them, and potential future employers. Saturday, October 15 is intended for members of the general public, who will have the opportunity to satisfy their curiosity by taking part in guided tours of the companies, which will open for the occasion from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“The tours on Saturday are a great opportunity for job seekers, enabling them to not only submit several applications in a single day, but also to visit potential workplaces and interact with people who already work there. Businesses also get something out of it by making initial contact with a significant number of available candidates,” stated Marie-Eve Poliquin, Sherbrooke Innopole’s Director of Communications.

Source and photo credits: Sherbrooke Innopole

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