Do Collaborative Strategies

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Do Collaborative Strategies Actually Work? A
Report Card on the Engineering and
Technical Services Cluster Presentation
to APEGGA Edmonton District April 15, 2003
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Outline

• The Greater Edmonton Competitiveness Strategy
• The Engineering and Technical Services Cluster
• Competitive Challenges Facing the Industry
• Collaborative Actions
• Accomplishments
• Report Card
• A Future Perspective
• Questions

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The Greater Edmonton Competiveness Strategy

• Launched Spring 2000
• Business Plans presented in Town Hall Meeting
  January 2001
• 1200 People and 300 business and organizations
  involved
• Largest initiative in the region costing over 1
  million

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Key Objectives

• Shape the next generation economy
• Build regional competitive advantage
• Attract investment and new business to the region

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Strategy
Create an environment within industry clusters
that drives both collaborative and constructive
competition to encourage innovation,
competitiveness and to attract and stimulate new
business in the region.
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Industry Clusters
Concentrations of similar companies with related
products and services their joint suppliers and
supporting economic foundations.
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Collaboration (v. from the Latin Related to
WORK)

• To work together
• To cooperate with the enemy

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Engineering and Technical Services
ClusterHighlights

• One of the 8 key drivers of growth in the region
• Consists of
• 50 Engineering and Technical Services
• 50 Construction Services
• Employs 68,000

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Engineering and Technical Services
ClusterHighlights

• Growing at 3.4 annually 1 faster than the
  North American average
• Weve developed specialized skills in Oil and
  Gas, Tarsands and Heavy Industry
• Lagging behind several North American centres
  including Calgary

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Engineering Technical Services Cluster
Competitive Challenges Facing the Industry

• Critical skills shortages (Technical,
  Professional and trades)
• The effects of seasonal and economic cycles on
  the industry
• Not attracting sufficient young people into the
  industry
• Limited marketing of industry services and
  strengths

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Engineering Technical Services Cluster
Competitive Challenges Facing the Industry

• Fragmented Industry
• Lack Head Office decision makers in Edmonton
• Need for alternate forms of project financing
• Cross border registration is a barrier to
  business in US

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Engineering Technical Services Cluster
3 Key Action Initiatives

• Increasing the availability and skills of our
  technical, professional and trades workforce
• Mitigating the effects of seasonal and economic
  cycles on the industry
• Collaboratively marketing the unique skills and
  expertise of the cluster globally

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Accomplishments

• Commissioned a study on exporting engineering
  services to USA and Mexico (Alberta Export
  Engineering Study April 2001) including
• Licensing
• Export potential
• Training requirements
• Commissioned a study of private and institutional
  training programs available to the cluster
  (Learning Map Project June 2001)
• Interactive website set up of available training
  inventory

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Accomplishments

• Several training initiatives offered through the
  Human Resources Flagship Cluster
• Seminars/Webinar series (SkillsInvest)
• Topics include Leadership, Best Practices in
  Recruiting, Retention and Performance Management
• www.skillsinvest.extension.ualberta.ca

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Accomplishments

• US licensing of Regional Canadian Engineers
• Help overcome the barrier of exporting
  engineering services to the US
• Agreement made with the Montana State Board to
  hold exams in Edmonton
• Fundamentals of Engineering FE exams held twice
  a year in April and October

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Accomplishments

• US licensing of Regional Canadian Engineers
• 18 people wrote and passed first exam in October
• 43 people are registered to write on Saturday
• Lecture was included as part of the ENG 400 Class
  for fourth year students at the University of
  Alberta
• Al Schuld and Neil Windsor of APEGGA are being
  certified to preside over the exams in Edmonton

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Accomplishments

• US licensing was a collaborative effort of
  several people including
• Robb McColl EDE
• Gerry Devine - Stantec
• Raj Rajan Alberta Research Council
• Ken Porteous University of Alberta
• Al Schuld - APEGGA
• Neil Windsor - APEGGA

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Accomplishments

• To mitigate the effects of Edmontons short
  construction cycle
• To promote and expand the use of cold weather
  construction techniques and technologies
• To share best practices in the field
• To meet and network with peers

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Accomplishments The International Winter
Construction Symposium and Expo 2002

• First time world class event held in Edmonton on
  November 3 5, 2002
• Symposium where educators and industry experts
  presented papers on the latest design and
  construction techniques and technologies in use
  in cold weather regions around the world
• Industry Expo where companies showcased
  equipment, products and services for cold weather
  construction
• 400 delegates and exhibitors

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Accomplishments The International Winter
Construction Symposium and Expo 2002

• Challenge identified in an industry cluster
  working group
• Solution started with one or two peoples
  involvement
• Finished with collaborative effort of many
  steering committee members, sponsors and
  participants
• Co-Chairs
• Gino Ferri, Read Jones Christoffersen
• Charles Lendzion, Construction Research Institute
  of Canada
• Wayne Mallet, Voice Construction Ltd.
• EDE
• Robb McColl EDE

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Accomplishments
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Accomplishments

• International Winter Construction Symposium and
  Expo May 16-19,
• 2004 Edmonton, Alberta
• Partnership with
• IWCSE International Winter Construction Symposium
  Expo
• CSCE Canadian Society of Civil Engineers
• ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers
• Co-Chairs
• Dr. Dan Smith University of Alberta Department
  of Civil Environmental Engineering
• Gino Ferri Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.

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Report Card
Grade
A

• Energy of a few people
• Support by EDE representative
• (Rob McColl)
• Support and participation of organizations like
  APEGGA
• Achieving overall objectives of the
  competitiveness strategy
• Achieving objectives of the cluster strategy
• Achieving cluster action initiatives

A
A
B
B
B
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Report Card
Grade
C

• Pace of project completion
• General Cluster Participation
• (people, companies, organizations)
• Future plan to sustain cluster
• Seed funding for future projects
• Fulltime resource dedicated to cluster project
  coordination

D
F
F
F
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Report Card
Overall Grade
PASS! More Effort Needed to Graduate
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Engineering Technical Services Cluster
A Future Perspective

• Continue our formula for success
• Small Solutions Not Grand Illusions

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Engineering Technical Services Cluster
A Future Perspective

• Hold a general cluster strategy session in 2003
  to
• Reestablish the key challenges facing our
  industry
• Reaffirm or expand our collaborative action
  initiatives
• Encourage broader participation from the industry
  cluster
• Figure out how to sustain the cluster group and
  accelerate its accomplishments

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Why Get Involved?

• Increased business opportunities regionally,
  nationally and internationally
• Wider opportunities for partnerships and
  strategic alliances
• Network with industry colleagues
• Increase your industry knowledge and knowledge of
  best practices
• Contribute to your industry and community
• Personal leadership opportunity

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How To Get Involved
Contact any of us
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Thank You!
Would welcome your questions and observations