Succession Planning and Sustainability

As I have traveled across the country, one common theme in most locations is the shortage of qualified staff. For our companies, our industry and our associations to be successful and sustainable, we need to attract competent and qualified staff at all levels.

Succession planning is key to the success of our business. We need to grow our staff, to provide opportunities and challenges that will make them want to stay in our industry. We need to give our young engineers, scientists and technical staff opportunities to work on projects that will excite them and allow them to be creative. Firms need not only to provide interesting and challenging work, but also to give staff an opportunity to continue their learning and to have a good balance between work and family life.

My colleagues on the Board of ACEC have recognized this challenge. While the Board members reaffirmed our association’s five priorities: Image, Remuneration, Lobbying, Business Practices and Trends, they also recognized the need to focus on the Sustainability of our Human Resources. As we are a knowledge industry, people are our primary asset, and if we cannot attract (and retain) young people to our industry, it will not be sustainable.

As an association, the same holds true. We have been fortunate to have a quality individual as our President and Chief Operating Officer for the past 6 1 /2 years. On behalf of the Board of ACEC, our members and the Past-Chairs of this organization who have had the pleasure to work closely with Claude Paul Boivin, I want to wish him all the best as he moves on to become Executive Director of the Canadian Dental Association.

LEON BOTHAM, P. ENG. CHAIR, ASSOCIATION OF CANADIAN

ENGINEERING COMPANIES (ACEC)