Immigration Pathways into Consctruction: 100-Day Challenge

A 100-day challenge is bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, including federal and provincial government, industry experts, academia, and community, to develop innovative solutions that leverage immigration and address the critical labour gaps within New Brunswick’s construction sector.

Our mission is to address critical labor gaps within New Brunswick’s and Prince Edward Island construction sector by leveraging immigration potential, enhancing workplace readiness, and recognizing international credentials and skills.

Over the last decade, and in particular over the past five years, New Brunswick has experienced record-setting population growth after years of decline and stagnation. In 2021 the population of New Brunswick grew faster than any other time on record, a trend that has continued into 2022 and 2023.

To support our growing population, we’ll need to accelerate building everything from schools to homes to wastewater and commercial space. At the center of this building is the construction workforce.

According to labour force data, around 4.2 per cent of construction jobs are currently unfilled. Furthermore, labour force projections estimate there will be 8,400 retirements and thousands of new jobs created due to increased demand in the construction workforce between now and 2032.

Theory of Change

NB & PEI construction sector
is supported to leverage immigration for filling vacancies through the rapid prototype of the 100-Day Challenge

The infrastructure demands of a growing population is meet

Timely and cost-effective completion of vital projects

Economic stability and robust community growth

Guiding Question: 

How Might We empower New Brunswick’s construction sector to swiftly harness immigration, ensuring
the timely development of essential infrastructure to support the province’s rapidly growing population? 

Guided by our How Might We statement, 3 teams will explore 3 focus areas over 100-days: 

Recruitment Team

Explore how the NB construction sector can leverage immigration and the hiring
of newcomers locally, nationally, and abroad to fill
 critical Labour gaps
today
and in the future. 

Workplace Readiness Team

 Concentrate on what’s needed to prepare both workers and employers to welcome and support the integration of newcomers into the NB construction sector, fostering their long-term success.

Credential & Skills
Recognition Team
 

Focus on how the NB construction
sector might recognize and leverage the international education, skills, and expertise of newcomers,
maximizing their contributions to the industry and
 filling labour gaps quickly.
 

The Process: 100-Day Challenge

The Pond-Deshpande Centre and Re!nsitute have partnered to deliver the first 100-day challenge in Canada.

The 100-Day Challenge is a results-focused systems change methodology built on proven principles and practices of quality improvement and design thinking. It creates the enabling conditions for collaboration, innovation, rapid experimentation, and execution to solve seemingly intractable problems. The methodology helps build frontline teams and supports them in finding innovative solutions to collective challenges. It encourages participating teams to move past existing power dynamics and translate shared interest into bold action in 100 days.

The methodology has supported teams across the world to achieve extraordinary change including:
  • Using the 100-Day Challenge, teams in the United States achieved a 47% decrease in veterans experiencing homelessness across 25 cities and 45 other communities increased their housing rate in 100 days by 124%.
  • Another team achieved a 16% reduction in CO2 emissions from the Emirates Global Aluminum factory in 100 Days, equivalent to annual emissions of 449,960 cars in the United Arab Emirates – as part of a project shifting the way government and private sector work together across the country and in multiple sectors.
100-Day Challenge Facilitation Team
  • Katie Davey, Pond-Deshpande Centre
  • Rebecca McSheffery, Pond-Deshpande Centre
  • Vanessa Paesani, Pond-Deshpande Centre
  • Vincent-Luc Brouillard, Pond-Deshpande Centre
  • Madeleine Whalen, All In
  • Courtney Ivey, All In
  • Vanessa Currie, All In
  • Peter Muse, Re!nstitute
  • Cosmos Cranston, Re!nstitute