Original article by Derek Sankey, The Calgary Herald (Calgary)
March 3, 2007

According to a study to be released in April, the supply of environmental workers is rapidly decreasing as the sector experiences a surge in activity and demand for workers grows in tandem.

The CEO of ECO Canada, Grant Trump says that one of the main concerns the industry is facing is where to find an adequate supply of workers. Trump believes that the supply of workers will have to come through immigration and the youth demographic in order to keep pace with growth.

The study reports that 54% of managers in environmental careers are older then 45 years of age, compared with the national average of 44%. Furthermore, many university level programs that lead to environmental careers have also experienced a substantial decline in enrolment figures.

Michael Jollife, senior vice-president of AMEC, one of the largest global engineering services firm, says the company’s business largely comprises environmental jobs.

ECO Canada plans to work with employers, educational institutions, and the general public to come up with solutions to address the human resource challenges facing the industry.