PEI BioAlliance HR Strategy
2020
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BioVectra Small scale fermentors to produce APIs
Contents Welcome..................................................................................................................................... 4 Achievements and Highlights 2010-2015............................................................. 5 PEI BioAlliance HR Mission........................................................................................ 6 PEI BioAlliance HR Role................................................................................................ 7 Examples of Career Opportunities........................................................................... 8 Process for Strategy Development...........................................................................10 Recruitment............................................................................................................................ 11 Retention................................................................................................................................. 20 HR Support........................................................................................................................... 22 Skills Development........................................................................................................... 24 Community Outreach.................................................................................................... 26 Conclusion............................................................................................................................. 28 Appendix A - PEI Bioscience Cluster Organizations................................. 29 Funded in whole or in part by the Canada-Prince Edward Island Labour Market Development Agreement. This Strategy offers the bioscience community a strong foundation to continue building a talented workforce that will drive growth. Thank you to all who participated in offering feedback and ideas. We have a strong team of leaders and talent within the bioscience community.
Appendix B - BioAlliance Companies Survey Summary....................... 30
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Atlantic Veterinary College
Welcome Our HR Strategy sets the direction to build our workforce over the next years toward 2020. This is the second HR Strategy in the history of the bioscience cluster. The first one was developed in 2010. This strategy is built on the experience and success of that initiative and on the growth plans of the bioscience companies. The PEI bioscience cluster employment is now over
1400 employees, and our 2020 target is projected to exceed 2000 employees. The PEI Bioscience community and its partners have collaborated to grow strong, sustainable organizations that are offering rewarding careers in Prince Edward Island. They are contributing to strong growth in our economy. Together we are building a legacy of next generation prosperity.
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Achievements and Highlights 2010-2015 • We have 43 companies within the bioscience cluster. • Between 2012 and 2015, 43% of jobs were created by emerging companies and 57% by the largest companies.
• Website traffic to the PEI BioAlliance Job Postings page has grown by 1700% over the past five years for a total of 81,000 total page views, 25,000 in past year.
PEI BIOCLUSTER EMPLOYMENT GROW TH
1600 1410
1400
1270
1200
• Recruitment success averages 95%.
1000
906
800
• Typical breakdown of job categories over the past years:
• 80% of recruits are coming from within Atlantic Canada.
705
750
786
990
1027
1067
750
600 400
452
200 0
- 30% scientists - 20% quality control/assurance - 40% production - 10% business administration • Average biocluster employee retention rate of 94%
• Career news mailing list and social media audience is 3000 with a current annual growth rate of 25%. This includes job seekers, professionals with extensive contacts in bioscience and referral organizations who represent job seeker audiences.
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Private Sector Companies
Public Sector Organizations
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PE I BIOA L L I A NCE H R S T RAT EGY
PEI BioAlliance HR Mission The Prince Edward Island BioAlliance is a collaborative and welcoming community that supports rewarding career paths and professional excellence to build successful bioscience companies: • We will be responsive to the challenges of individual bioscience companies and find ways to successfully support their recruitment, retention and HR needs. • We will have an open-door approach for those seeking careers and help them access job opportunities, mentoring and networking opportunities within the community. • We will seek to establish HR best practices that support the growth of a sustainable and growing bioscience community.
• We will build strong HR working groups that share best practices and tackle common challenges. • We will reach out to the larger community to attract well-matched, strong candidates that will thrive within the PEI bioscience community. • We will strive to pass on a strong and vibrant bioscience community to the next generation to build prosperity in PEI which is based on our Island values of perseverance, respect and cooperation.
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PE I BIOA L L I A NCE H R S T RAT EGY
PEI BioAlliance HR Role One of the roles of the PEI BioAlliance is to coordinate activities outlined in the HR Strategy. The first HR strategy was developed in 2010. Since that time, the PEI BioAlliance has collaborated with bioscience companies and academic and training institutions to promote job opportunities, build HR best practices, support skills development and generate public awareness of bioscience career paths. Activities include:
• Work with universities/colleges and community organizations to highlight bioscience opportunities for new graduates • Consult with companies and participate in HR working groups to strengthen HR best practices and address challenges and opportunities
• Expand job seeker networks to attract well-qualified talent to the PEI bioscience community
• Collaborate to raise the profile of the PEI BioAlliance cluster nationally and internationally to attract strong talent to PEI which will drive innovation, population numbers and long-term economic growth
• Promote career opportunities through PEI BioAlliance website, e-news and social media
• Conduct quarterly surveys to measure recruitment success and identify upcoming recruitment needs
• Meet with job seekers who wish to access opportunities in the bioscience community
Networking at Atlantic Veterinary College
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PE I BIOA L L I A NCE H R S T RAT EGY
Examples of Career Opportunities The following are some examples of careers within the bioscience community: SCIENTIST/RESEARCH /LAB
Post Doc, Senior Scientist Research Scientist Scientist R&D Analytical Research Chemist Laboratory Technician Research Technician
PRODUCTION
Process Engineer Process Development Production Manager Engineering Technician Chemical Process Operator Fermentation Technician Production Technician Production Team Lead Facility Maintenance Technician Facility Manager
Operations Manager Business Development Manager/Representative Human Resources Manager Payroll & Benefits Administrator
PEI BIOSCIENCE CLUSTER: VALUE PROPOSITION
The talent pipeline Percentage of total university and college enrolments in physical, life sciences and related technologies programs (2012)
9.8%
QUALITY ASSURANCE /QUALITY CONTROL SENIOR MANAGEMENT/
Quality Assurance Specialist Validation Manager QA Associate, Validation Quality Control Team Lead Regulatory Affairs Associate
5.1%
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
CEO/General Manager Vice President – Marketing/Finance/ Operations Marketing Manager
All Canadian universities and colleges
Prince Edward Island
Source: Statistics Canada CANSIM Table 477-0029.
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Assistant Hatchery Manager Jon Veinot displaying AquaBounty’s AquAdvantage Salmon that attain market size in half the time of conventional salmon
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Maritime Natural Products Conference Delegates at UPEI
Process for Strategy Development A survey was sent to all biocluster companies to gather feedback on key priorities for this HR Strategy. The results are documented in Appendix B. As a follow up to the survey, the Manager, HR Strategy visited companies to discuss their specific HR needs and to tour their operations. A short survey was also sent to public organizations within our cluster that are active employers. The following strategy reflects the priorities defined by the bioscience cluster organizations to support growth over the next five years.
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Recruitment
ATTRACT AND BUILD A SUSTAINABLE FLOW OF SKILLED TALENT TO SUPPORT BIOSCIENCE COMPANY GROWTH
EXPAND NETWORKS TO MAXIMIZE ACCESS TO SKILLED TALENT
• Expand networks to targeted audiences that reflect upcoming demand for specialized skills and invite them to join the PEI BioAlliance Career News mailing list, connect with us on social media and attend our networking events • Promote career opportunities through our website, e-news and social media to attract a large following of well-matched job seekers and professionals with excellent networks of high-quality talent • Promote a welcoming “open-door” approach to meet with job seekers interested in bioscience careers • Promote best practices for accessing employment in the bioscience community
• Collaborate with community organizations who assist job seekers to find employment
• Create a list of online job sites that have worked well for our cluster
• Create a list of universities and colleges where companies have successfully recruited graduates, including a list of their annual career fairs and key contacts
• Encourage recruitment companies to network within our community and set up meetings with bioscience companies
• Ensure there is good participation at key university/college career fairs where we can raise our profile as a strong community of employers • Encourage companies to build strong professional networks to support their specialized recruitment needs and identify job boards within their industries • Update the PEI BioAlliance Job Posting page to give it a stronger image, as it is the highest traffic page on our website with 81,000 page views over past five years
• Collaborate with BioTalent Canada to maximize the benefit of their national job board • Continue to conduct HR quarterly surveys to measure recruitment success and be proactive on challenges and opportunities • Share findings of HR quarterly survey with cluster companies and public organizations, HR working groups and stakeholders
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RAISE AWARENESS OF BIOSCIENCE COMPANIES TO ATTRACT TALENT
• Profile headline company news but also smaller, interesting news items that highlight activity and growth in the community • Highlight company leadership to promote plans for growth • Host HR-focused bionetworking events where companies can present their latest business development news, highlight their work culture and promote recruitment needs • Assist companies in building their social media strategies to highlight good news stories, participation at conferences/events and attract audiences interested in career opportunities • Create a directory of companies’ social media pages, so the entire community can share good news/updates and together build a strong social media presence for the PEI bioscience cluster
• Develop a recruitment welcome page template that companies can incorporate on their websites which will make a strong, consistent impression with job seekers. This template would include a list of job categories, education/skills required, work culture, overview of employee benefits, email address for resumes, and, if available, the link to their online recruiting site featuring current job postings. • Update companies’ page on the PEI BioAlliance website with links to their home page and HR welcome page
• Ensure employment news media are aware of actively recruiting companies, so they can include stories on their upcoming career opportunities • Encourage companies to apply to top employer lists to attract strong candidates • Encourage companies to set up automatic thank-you email replies to confirm with candidates they have received their resume/ applications. This becomes increasingly important as we build strong candidate networks. We want to make a good impression and encourage candidates to reapply for future positions.
“I wanted some coaching on how best to approach the bioscience community and make the best impression. I met with the PEI BioAlliance to discuss my resume and the companies that I researched. It put me on track and I followed the best practices they suggested...they work!”
SOMRU BIOSCIENCE EMPLOYEE
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“The PEI BioAlliance hosts regular HR-focused bionetworking events where companies can present their latest developments. It was an opportunity for us to highlight our company and promote upcoming recruitment opportunities.” ELANCO
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ATTRACT AND RETAIN TOP TALENT TO WORK IN THE PEI BIOSCIENCE COMMUNITY
• Promote PEI as a place to enjoy a rewarding career in bioscience and still have valuable time to enjoy a great family life, a good standard of living and a healthy work/life balance • Highlight our strong bioscience community culture that welcomes employees and their families • Build a strong network and support system to make employees new to PEI feel welcome in our community • In cooperation with the HR working groups, create ways for spouses/partners of employees to connect with each other and community resources, identify specific challenges we could assist with, and invite them to send us their resumes which we can circulate among our networks
• Tap into existing community groups that organize programs and activities for newcomers and find ways we can collaborate with them to make new families to PEI feel at home
a competitive employee package. If they are not able to offer competitive salaries, help them strategize ways to offer other valuable non-monetary benefits that would be appealing to employees.
• Feature links on our website of community resources and activities which would be valuable to newcomers working in the PEI bioscience community
• Highlight programs supporting recruitment to enhance opportunities for companies to offer competitive salaries
• Promote the total package of advantages of working in bioscience in PEI to new graduates. Highlight emerging/high-growth companies, professional development and career advancement opportunities, competitive compensation and benefit plans, reasonable cost of living and good communities to raise a family. • Encourage companies to access the latest national compensation and benefits data offered by BioTalent Canada, so local companies can feel assured they are offering
• Promote our conferences and bionetworking events that attract high-level international industry leaders to PEI, so employees can see that the PEI bioscience cluster is truly connected to the world. Emphasize the message that great things are happening here in the bioscience community. • Collaborate with government partners involved in population attraction activities to tap into best practices and resources. Make sure our communications are well aligned with their established brand.
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“I graduated from UPEI with a B.Sc. and found work within a month of graduation. I feel that I have the best of both worlds. I can still manage my horse farm and build a rewarding career. My family moved here from New England in 2009 and I am so happy that I can stay. I love PEI.” BIOVECTRA EMPLOYEE
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BUILD COLLABORATIONS WITH SECONDARY AND POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS TO SECURE A STRONG FUTURE WORKFORCE
• Increase connections among secondary, post-secondary and bioscience companies to promote career paths and build a strong future workforce in bioscience • Welcome university and college career office professionals to take part in our bioscience community, join our mailing lists and attend our networking events • Work with Holland College and UPEI to promote the Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and two-year diploma program to high school students • Invite students to join our community and encourage them to network with potential future employers at BioAlliance events
• Encourage opportunities where students can benefit from industry experience e.g. co-op and OJT programs, Career Prep Program, NSERC’s Industrial Undergraduate Research Student Award • Promote student-rate registrations to BioAlliance conferences and encourage students to participate as a way to build their networks and industry knowledge • Find ways to collaborate with postsecondary marketing students on special projects/assignments where they could help raise the awareness of the bioscience companies and business careers in bioscience • Feature stories of graduates who found opportunities in the PEI bioscience cluster where they can share how they built their careers
• Create opportunities for mentorship between bioscience companies and students • Capitalize on programs that bring together research students and bioscience companies through programs like those offered by NSERC and Springboard Atlantic
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“Holland College and the PEI BioAlliance, along with the PEI bioscience companies, have a strong working relationship through the Advisory Committee and OJT Program.” MICHAEL GIBSON, PH.D., LEARNING MANAGER, HOLLAND COLLEGE BIOSCIENCE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
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REDUCE BARRIERS TO RECRUITING SPECIALIZED INTERNATIONAL CANDIDATES
• Host information sessions on hiring international workers and challenges e.g. the new requirement for work permit holders to apply for permanent residency as part of the work permit renewal process • Identify key local resources that can assist companies in hiring international workers • Invite bioscience companies to share best practices on hiring international workers • Connect with key government contacts that can offer us the latest updates/changes e.g. Express Entry Program and offer timely advice on challenges companies are experiencing in hiring international candidates • Seek advice on how to assess international credentials so qualified newcomers to Canada can access opportunities
• Build collective knowledge to help companies streamline the process as much as possible, so the employees can begin work with companies sooner
“PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada’s Employment Assistance Service (EAS) has clients that are highly qualified in scientific areas. EAS collaborates with the PEI BioAlliance to ensure that newcomers are aware of the growing prospects for employment with bioscience companies on PEI.” PEI ASSOCIATION FOR NEWCOMERS TO CANADA
CATC employee Tiago Hori becoming a Canadian Citizen, joined by his wife Kim Johnstone from Synapse and their daughter Gabriela
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MAXIMIZE ENGAGEMENT IN PROGRAMS SUPPORTING RECRUITMENT
• Host regular information sessions where funders can discuss their programs supporting recruitment and receive feedback from employers • Promote programs supporting recruitment as a way to offset the challenges of accessing capital to finance recruitment and striving to offer a competitive salary. Highlight and regularly promote our user-friendly chart that links to all programs that support recruitment. • Address the program gap that NSERC and MITACs have left in PEI with the loss of programs that supported recruitment of post-doctoral candidates
HR BioNetworking Event at UPEI
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Retention
BUILD A STRONG WORKFORCE THAT WILL DRIVE BUSINESS GROWTH AND ENJOY PROFESSIONALLY REWARDING CAREERS
• Build strategies to support retention for emerging companies that are hiring candidates integral to their early growth and for high-growth companies that are creating employment opportunities • Promote workshops and conferences on employee engagement that offer ideas companies could adopt • In the HR working groups, invite companies to share employee engagement ideas • Encourage companies to invite their employees to join the BioAlliance mailing list, so they can learn about networking and social events and feel part of the larger bioscience community
• Promote compensation and benefits data provided by BioTalent Canada, so companies can stay informed of competitive salary levels and benefits packages • Share knowledge of good professional development courses through HR working groups • Make sure spouses/partners of “new-to-PEI” employees have access to resources to build rewarding careers in PEI which will support retention of key talent
BioNetworking Event at NRC
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Clyde River, PEI
“Attending the PEI Bioscience networking events is so important to making key connections. I attended a PEI BioAlliance networking event and had a chance connect with senior managers of the bioscience companies. I just graduated with an M.Sc. and am happy to say that I am now employed as a result of the contacts that I made.” UPEI GRADUATE
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HR Support
COLLABORATE TO BUILD STRONG AND CONSISTENT HR CAPACITY
• Maintain a page on the PEI BioAlliance website (with printable PDF version) that summarizes current HR support services provided by the PEI BioAlliance along with HR specialist services available within the community • Develop a Human Resource Blog/News page of timely features and stories as a way to keep recruitment, training programs and HR tools/resources top of mind • Promote the HR resources offered by BioTalent Canada and invite them to add timely items and partnership offers to our HR news page
• Research HR best practices that will offer guidance and inspiration for companies as they strive for attraction and retention excellence • Create an HR working group for the largest bioscience companies who have HR departments and specific HR experiences and needs • Establish a second HR working group dedicated to smaller and mid-size emerging companies that do not typically have in-house HR expertise. Right now the majority of companies have a CEO/PEIbased manager or employee managing
multiple duties taking care of HR, so their time is limited. This group will allow a dialogue around individual and common needs. We can tap into customized HR resources to build consistent HR capacity that will support recruitment, retention and company growth. • Offer one-to-one customized consultation with companies new to PEI on HR resources and services available to them. Introduce them to HR resources and specialists who can help build their HR capacity.
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“As a smaller company, it is valuable to us to tap into the PEI BioAlliance and larger cluster community to seek advice and share ideas on HR best practices.” AQUABOUNTY TECHNOLOGIES
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Skills Development BUILD A CULTURE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING TO SUPPORT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION AND DRIVE GROWTH
• Take advantage of the Canada-PEI Jobs Grant initiative to support regular, clusterwide training sessions for cGMP, Project Management and Leadership/Management training • Collaborate with companies to build strong management capacity to support those going through rapid growth and succession planning • Identify training opportunities that support understanding of business fundamentals
• Share ideas on valuable courses, workshops or conferences through HR working groups • Identify training opportunities that will offset any common skills gaps for new recruits • Encourage opportunities for researchers to be engaged with industry which will help bridge the gap in transitioning from academia to business
• Encourage on-the-job training and co-op initiatives for students to prepare for the workforce and open up career opportunities • Through the Connecting and Advancing Women in the Bio-economy local chapter, promote mentorship and professional development
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“We are always interested in ensuring Dalhousie students and recent graduates are aware of possible employment opportunities in PEI. Many of our students attend the university from across Atlantic Canada, across the country and internationally. Not only do we receive job notifications, we are helping increase our students’ awareness of opportunities in PEI. Thank you.” SCIENCE, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION - DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY
Clyde River, PEI
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Community Outreach • Create a welcoming environment to show the success happening in bioscience and how developments are helping to drive the Island economy and providing good quality, stable jobs for Islanders • Regularly feature profiles of employees working in the cluster and highlight rewarding careers and work/life balance • Take advantage of speaking opportunities across PEI to promote the bioscience cluster and answer questions they may have on accessing opportunities • Collaborate with employment news media and specialized publications to regularly highlight company stories and professionals in bioscience
BUILD ON CURRENT SUCCESS AND CREATE PROSPERITY FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
• Invite the community to our social media pages to stay current on the latest company and bioscience community news • Coach companies to take advantage of social media and opportunities to speak to their online communities • Find opportunities to build national awareness of the PEI bioscience cluster • Advocate for improvement in K-12 education
PEI BIOSCIENCE CLUSTER: IN CONTEXT
The PEI cluster is emerging as an important player on the national stage Biologists and related scientists per 10,000 in the labour market
19.7% 12.7%
Canada
Prince Edward Island
Source: Statistics Canada 2011 National Household Survey.
“The good news stories about the people and companies in the PEI bioscience cluster show what is possible, and it is good to know that our children have options if they wish to work close to home.” DR. RUSS KERR, CHAIR, PEI BIOALLIANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Natural Products Conference at UPEI
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Conclusion Over the past five years, the PEI bioscience cluster has averaged a 94% employee retention rate. We have 43 companies and over 1400 employees with a target of 2000 by 2020. Private employee numbers have tripled in the past 10 years. The momentum is set. Our vision is clear. We have high interest in bioscience careers with 25% annual audience growth which is increasingly targeted to top talent and bioscience professionals with targeted networks. Our mailing list and social media audiences are the first to hear about bioscience careers featured on our website. We are focused on expanding our networks. We participate in events and career fairs. We invite job seekers to meet with us to discuss their career goals and to identify which companies would be a good match for their
skills and experience. We encourage job seekers to attend our networking events to establish contacts and access employment. We promote programs that support recruitment. At least 80% of jobs are filled from Atlantic Canada with a large portion of candidates from Prince Edward Island. We receive positive feedback from professionals moving to PEI about our well-organized approach to recruitment. We encourage networking at PEI BioAlliance events. Time and time again we see where those job seekers who attend events have higher success in finding employment. We also invite community group representatives who work with job seekers to join us as well which has led to excellent working collaborations with their clients wishing to access careers.
We are promoting a culture of training to build knowledge and skills for professional and corporate growth. The PEI BioAlliance and its partner organizations recognized from the early days that the quality of human resources within the PEI BioCluster, from business, to science, to manufacturing, to support services, is a critical enabler of the growth and development of the Cluster. This Strategy continues to build on that recognition and, properly executed, will continue to yield necessary results.
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A PPENDI X
Appendix A
PEI BIOSCIENCE CLUSTER ORGANIZATIONS
PRIVATE COMPANIES
Advanced Extraction Systems Affinity Immuno Aqua Bounty Canada ARK Bio-Medical Canada Armentum Atlantec BioEnergy Atlantech Companies Avivagen Animal Health BioSpa BioVectra Cana-Add Canada’s Island Garden Center for Aquaculture Technologies Canada CNS-CRO Delivra Diversified Metal Engineering Elanco GRW Laboratories Halibut PEI Handyman Labs HZPC Canada Intervivo
Island Abbey Foods Island Water Technologies MicroSintesis Murphy Laboratories Nature’s Crops International Nautilus Biosciences Canada Neurodyn NeuroQuest OmniActive Health Technologies Canada Origins Extraction Precise AI Phytocultures Pure Pharmaceuticals Potato Quality Institute Regis Duffy Bioscience Fund Retrevium RPS Biologiques Sekisui Diagnostics P.E.I. Sevita International Solarvest Somru Biosciences Timeless Veterinary Systems Virotechnologies ViTRAK Systems
PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS
Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada BioFoodTech Holland College & Canada’s Smartest Kitchen Innovation PEI National Research Council Atlantic Veterinary College UPEI
PEI BIOCLUSTER COMPANY GROW TH 40 36
35
38
40
43
33 30
30 25
25
27
20 15
16
10 5 0
2004
2007
2008
2009
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
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Appendix B
BIOSCIENCE COMPANIES SURVEY SUMMARY
An online survey was conducted with PEI Bioscience Cluster companies along with followup tours/interviews. There were 24 company survey respondents, which represented the most actively recruiting companies.
What HR professionals/resources do you currently have within your company?
Employee handles HR & other duties CEO/PEI Based M anager HR Department One employee dedicated to HR 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
31
Q#3
A PPENDI X
RECRUITMENT
Where do you typically recruit talent for the following job categories? (Choose all that apply.)
BioAlliance W ebsite Employee Networks Regional Job Boards Company Professional Networks Large Job Boards Universities/Colleges LinkedIn Recruiters PetriDish 0
5
10 Scientists
15 QA/QC
20 Production
25 Business Admin
30
35
Senior M gmt.
Other places they advertise are HRDC job bank, industry association sites and Holland College Bioscience Program.
40
45
50
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What strategies do you use to raise your company’s profile to attract good recruits and how do you rate their effectiveness? (Choose all that apply.)
BioAlliance Communications Company W ebsite Industry Exhibitions/Trade Shows Industry Conferences Career Fairs Print PR Recruiters 0
2 Low value
4
6
Moderate Value
8
10
High Value
Other ways they raise profile are community service, employee referrals, peer reviewed publications and technical journals.
12
14
16
33
Q#5
A PPENDI X
COMMENTS
What are your recruitment challenges? (Choose all that apply.)
Challenges to find skilled talent
No significant challenges
PEI location
Capital to recruit needed talent
Available programs to support recruitment 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
• Challenges to maintain staff • Spousal employment • We are lucky in that we have been successful with the staff we have hired over the past 5-6 years. We have minimal turnover. We had two positions in the past 3-4 years which were difficult to fill, but we certainly did not go a really long time with a vacant position. • Finding engineers with specialized knowledge is challenging. • Had good luck hiring grads and bringing them along • As a new company, the budget for top talent often is not there even if we could interest them in the position. We are growing people into the roles we need filled. • With our rural location, the recruitment challenges with young professions are even further amplified (K-12 education and health care).
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What are your most challenging types of positions to recruit? (Choose all that apply.)
Scientists with specialized knowledge
Comments included difficulty finding subject matter experts, engineers and molecular biologists with fish experience.
No specific challenges Senior M anagement Production 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
What post-secondary institutions do you hire graduates from? (Choose all that apply.)
Holland College
UPEI
Other Atlantic Universities/Colleges
Other Canadian Universities/Colleges
International universities/colleges 0
5
10
15
20
25
35
A PPENDI X
When you are considering applicants from outside Canada, are there any barriers/challenges? COMMENTS Not applicable
No significant barriers
Significant barriers
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
• The biggest challenge with hiring internationally now is where work permit holders are required to apply for permanent residency now as part of the work permit renewal process. • As a start up, we had some issues meeting the salaries dictated using the LMO process. It does not account for additional compensation incentives. • The barriers that we have encountered are assessing credentials. Those that we choose to interview are usually exceptionally suited to the position/have regulatory or applied research experience. Getting them into Canada can be a trial, but there is good support from PEI Immigration. • The only barrier is time delay in completing visa paperwork etc. • Language can be a barrier. Sometimes language level listed does not match with actual candidates. • The time frame and work required to hire someone from US is high.
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What programs have you accessed to support recruitment? (Choose all that apply.)
Holland College OJT Program Skills PEI Graduate M entorship NSERC Industrial Undergraduate Student Research Award Skills PEI Employ PEI Program UPEI Co-‐op Student Program BioTalent Canada Career W age Focus Program Skills PEI Career Prep Program 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
COMMENTS
• Companies also benefit from the PEI Labour Rebate Grant. • We do not typically use the undergrad or grad student programs because it is a relatively large investment in time for someone who might not stay. • We like to recruit using the post-doc tools; however, the only program available to us for post docs that does not require an academic partnership is the Innovation PEI Program.
16
18
#11
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COMMENTS
To the best of your knowledge, based on your strategic planning, how many employees would you estimate you will be recruiting in each of the next five years?
• Reasonably-priced office space to house additional employees that is still close to the main research facility • Running out of places to put people already!
Companies estimated three to five years out. It looks like we will at least maintain our rate of creating 100 jobs per year and will likely exceed this projection.
As you plan your recruitment over the next five years, what do you think could become a challenge in achieving these recruitment goals? (Choose all that apply.)
Access to capital Challenges finding specialized skills Management capacity Business development challenges Delays due to regulatory process Training required Don't foresee significant challenges 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
13
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Are there any additional comments you have about recruitment that should be considered as we develop our new HR Strategy? • There are a lot of funding opportunities to hire new grads and provide training, but not a lot of help to fund high-level managers/contractors. • Tools should be focused on companies of all sizes. Smaller companies/those with less HR expertise have different needs from those with entire HR departments. Up-to-date compensation information is also very valuable. • Any information regarding funds/programs available for recruitment RETENTION
What are your key retention issues? Retention is not a problem No significant retention issues Employee spouse unable to find employment Not able to offer competitive salaries/benefits PEI location Not able to offer advancement opportunities 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
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Have you identified barriers to employee retention from formal or informal exit interviews? • Tough winter season • Lack of major city • Young singles do not adapt well here • We have never lost an employee • Remuneration - having to compete with institutions like UPEI For your employees that have located or relocated to PEI, what are some of the advantages they see in living and working on the Island? • Most comments related to family-friendly location • Good work/life balance • Lower cost of living • Safe and strong communities, small-town feel • Friendly people • Short, easy commutes between home and work • Peaceful and relaxed lifestyle • Opportunity to work with international companies • Capacity for aquaculture expertise on Island and within region • Friendly, family-feel within small, growing companies • Lots of potential for career development • No relocations
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PE I BIOA L L I A NCE H R S T RAT EGY
What strategies have you applied to support retention that have worked well?
Employment engagement activities
Competitive compensation & benefits plan
Professional development opportunities
Support for employee spouse to adapt to community 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Comments included “offering an interesting job in a pleasant environment”.
Are there any additional comments you have about retention that should be considered as we develop our new HR Strategy? • Create a way for spouses/partners and newcomers to PEI and Canada to connect with each other to help ease the transition to their new community • Compensation health packages for start-ups
16
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HR SUPPORT & RESOURCES
What are your most critical current/near future HR priorities? We received a broad range of responses which offers a good snapshot: • GMP knowledge • Retaining staff for the longer term • Updating and completing HR policies • Finding candidates with specified skills and education • Managing our fast growth • Continuing to develop our current team • Senior management • Finding someone to take over day-to-day administration of lab duties so Operations Director can focus on clients and bring in new projects • Capital for recruitment • Space to house future hires • Establishing HR policies as we continue to grow
• Marketing support • Hiring additional production team members • Being able to pay senior managers competitive salaries • Specialized skills • Filling our management level positions and completing staffing for our expansion • Information for both employers and employees • Filling an engineering position • Finding and attracting qualified staff to PEI • Retaining employees because better paying, government program financed positions are being offered
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PE I BIOA L L I A NCE H R S T RAT EGY
Rating of the PEI BioAlliance services to support the HR needs of companies:
Organizing training opportunities BioAlliance job p ostings p age Building national awareness Gathering HR best practices Promoting companies/careers in media HR resources on website Careers p romos on social media Career e-‐news notification Meeting with job seekers Linkages to HR specialists/services Outreach to build job seeker mailing lists HR-‐focused events Tracking HR progress -‐ Quarterly Survey 0
5 High Value
10 Moderate Value
15 Low Value
Not aware
20
25
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What items and topics would companies find valuable as we upgrade the PEI BioAlliance website and printed HR materials?
Website page/PDF summarizing PEIBA HR services/resources HR Blog with updates, news, company stories Career/education options targeted to students Employee career path stories Stories celebrating talent in bioscience community 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
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PE I BIOA L L I A NCE H R S T RAT EGY
The PEI BioAlliance has a partnership with BioTalent Canada to tap into national resources. How valuable are these resources to you?
Promote bio-‐economy needs to Fed. Gov. Career Focus W age Subsidy Program Benefits, e.g. partner discounts Labour market Information Special projects that address skills gaps PetriDish Job Board 0
5 High Value
10 Moderate Value
Low Value
15 Not aware
COMMENT
Suggest a plan that supports R&D positions in high-risk endeavours wherein revenue is not expected to accrue from the R&D for 3-5 years.
20
25
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What types of labour market information would you find valuable?
23
• Current wage and compensation information • Information on employee benefits • Job descriptions • Examples of HR policies • Industry information relating to different companies
• Financial and staff information • Education news • Career news • Growth year over year by skill and job • Stock option plans • Access to info on what talent is available
How valuable is the PEI HR Toolkit? The PEI HR Toolkit is managed by the Greater Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce and offers a broad range of local HR resources and templates.
Have not used it
Moderate value
Low value
High value 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
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PE I BIOA L L I A NCE H R S T RAT EGY
What HR practices do you have in place?
Employee health & safety policies Job descriptions Compensation & benefits plan Company HR policies Professional development Engagement activities Performance reviews Formal recruitment Incentive programs 0
5
10 Yes
No
Have plans to add
15 Looking for ideas/info
20
25
30
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SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
What are your most critical current/near future skills development priorities? • GMP Knowledge • Sales & Marketing • Succession Planning
How do you currently handle training in your company? What types of training take place? • Most comments related to some combination of internal and outsourced training. • Training encompasses administration, accounting, QC • Training is accomplished via SOPs and OJT. • Technical, soft skills, lean manufacturing and six sigma • Job specific training programs to move up skills ladder
• We encourage employees to participate in professional development opportunities, when relevant and when possible. • When equipment is installed, the vendor provides training for staff. • Training occurs on an as-needed basis when time permits. • Employees self train. • We like online training but send employees to specific training as required.
• We offer in-house training on biosafety, TDG, WHMIS, First Aid, GLP and animal ethics. • Senior scientists provide training. • A training program is in place for each position. • We have a company training manual. • Internal production and manufacturing training
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PE I BIOA L L I A NCE H R S T RAT EGY
Q#28 How valuable have you found the Canada-PEI Jobs Grant as a way to offer training for employees?
Have not used program
Pleased with program
Have plans to use program
Had challenges 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
What types of training would you like offered to on a cluster-wide basis? One more suggestion included Dangerous Goods Air Training.
Project management training
Management/leadership training
Re-‐offer the 3-‐day cGMP training each year
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
#30
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What has been your experience in hiring graduates from post-secondary institutions?
Holland College
UPEI
Other Atlantic Canada universities
Other Canadian universities
International universities 0
5 Very good
10 Satisfactory
Not satisfactory
15 Have not hired any
COMMENT
More on-the-job training is required. Students don’t learn how to take their book knowledge and apply it to practical working experiences.
20
25
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PE I BIOA L L I A NCE H R S T RAT EGY
What else should be considered as we develop our HR Strategy? • Continue to identify funding opportunities for companies to hire experienced staff/senior level positions • Have HR resources to find answers to questions on stat holidays, handbooks, snow policies, for example • Information on changes in demographics • Bridging the gap between academia and commercial applications – new staff from an academic base sometimes have a hard time transitioning to industry
“We were looking for an engineer with specialized experience. We communicated our need to the PEI BioAlliance. The very next day, a wellmatched engineer who was making plans to move to PEI contacted the PEI BioAlliance for assistance. The lead was forwarded to us, and we hired them. That’s teamwork!” ISLAND WATER TECHNOLOGIES
Center for Aquaculture Technologies, Souris, PEI
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Island Water Technologies