About the Challenge

A 100-day challenge brought 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 withing New Brunswick’s and Prince Edward Island’s construction sector.

The project’s mission was to address critical labour gaps within New Brunswick’s and Prince Edward Island’s construction sector by leveraging immigration potential, enhancing workplace readiness, and recognizing international credential and skills.

Our Theory of Change

1. Support

If NB & PEI construction sectors are supported to leverage immigration for filling vacancies

2. Meeting Needs

Then the infrastructure demands of a growing population will more likely to be met

3. Results

Resulting in the timely and cost-effective completion of vital projects

4. Ripple Effects

Leading to greater economic stability and robust community growth

Guiding Question

A «How Might We» (HMW) statement is a creative problem-solving tool that frames a challenge as an opportunity for innovation. It’s designed to encourage open-ended thinking and generate actionable ideas by posing the problem as a question.

We use HMW statements to track progress through the problem-solving process. As we uncover new insights, we refine our focus by creating new HMW statements, ensuring our approach remains adaptive and responsive to emerging learnings.

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

Prototypes

We launched the 100-day challenge with a shared goal: increasing the representation of immigrants in the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island construction sectors.

Throughout the challenge, team members gained valuable insights into how their efforts improved the hiring experience for both immigrants and employers. A pivotal realization shifted the focus-employers are the key lever for success. Their decisions and actions shape the entire hiring process, making them the most critical factor in driving meaningful change.

The prototypes developed concentrated on understanding and enhancing the hiring experience for construction employers, from small businesses to large firms engaged in residential and commercial projects across both provinces.

By addressing employer needs and barriers, we created solutions that support a more inclusive and sustainable solutions.