CPCS targets manufacturers with “essential skills” initiative

The Canadian Plastics Sector Council (CPSC) has launched a national two-year initiative designed to target and develop a list of “essential skills” deemed necessary to boost productivity, safety and the ability to adapt to change within the plastics industry workforce.

The CPSC has identified nine essential skills: reading, document use, writing, numeracy, oral communication, working with other, thinking skills, computer use and continuous learning. By December 2011, the organization said, its website will include an interactive, state-of-the-art product suite available in English and French aimed at building these nine criteria.

“Workers will be able to find information about occupations in plastics and they’ll be able to see how their skills measure up,” the CPSC said. “An online assessment will summarize where they already have the necessary essential skills and where there may be gaps. It will then point them to learning resources aimed specifically at closing their gaps.”