Why one construction company is hiring in English teachers
Faced with a national labour shortage disrupting Canadian construction, George Vassallo, president and CEO of Bothwell-Accurate, takes an innovative approach. He recruits foreign workers and equips them with essential English language skills to ensure safety and success on the job.
“Safety is always a concern,” Vassallo explains. “The more people we bring in from offshore, the more important it becomes. When you bring people in from a third-world country, their safety factors are nowhere near what we do in Canada… It’s a matter of educating them properly as to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable.”
Vassallo confronts a complex challenge: integrating foreign workers who face significant language barriers and ensuring they understand the intricacies of Canadian construction safety regulations. To bridge this gap, he hires retired and active English teachers to deliver language classes tailored to workplace needs.
“Phrases like, ‘Heads up!’ or ‘Hold up!’ are second nature to native English speakers, but for someone unfamiliar with the language, they can cause confusion,” he says. “This confusion can lead to potential safety risks and feelings of isolation. So, I tell my team in BC to hire a retired English teacher to set everyone straight on safety language and other phrases that help them adapt.”
Creative solution to a pressing problem
Vassallo now enrolls nearly 40 workers in year-long courses across Ontario and British Columbia. These classes start with the basics of reading, writing, and speaking English and advance to more complex language skills.
“We have 17 people in BC and 12 in Toronto participating,” he notes. “It’s not mandatory yet, but if someone keeps making the same mistake in the field because they don’t understand, we will require it.”
This proactive initiative addresses a systemic issue: the long delays in accessing government-run language programs, which can take up to two years. In an industry struggling to fill 139,000 skilled positions, as reported by Statistics Canada, Vassallo’s program offers a practical and immediate solution.
Clear communication equals safer workplaces
Lisa Bellanger, CEO of Conscious Works Consulting, praises Vassallo’s efforts and emphasizes the importance of simplifying safety communication. She advocates for strategies that mimic the clarity of IKEA instructions.
“We should all be taking a really nice IKEA approach,” she says. “The instructions are language agnostic. They show symbols and describe things clearly. Safety messaging should be similar—using direct language, symbols, and simplifying key messages that need to be communicated.”
Bellanger highlights the complexity of English, describing it as “incredibly hard” to learn because of its inconsistent rules. She stresses the need for employers and employees to collaborate on building clear communication frameworks. “If we’re investing in bringing in external labour, the number one priority has to be communication,” she says.
Building a safer future
Vassallo’s commitment to fostering safety and inclusion drives his decision-making. He focuses on building a unified workforce where everyone feels valued and confident.
“The students appreciate what we’re doing,” he says. “We’ve had zero negative feedback. All of it is positive. From that perspective, I know we’re on the right track.”
He encourages other industry leaders to think creatively and adopt bold strategies. “Sometimes it needs to be drastic, outside-the-box thinking that allows us to adapt,” he says. “To my knowledge, there isn’t anybody else in our industry that puts on English classes for their workers, and I think that’s something we’re all going to have to do.”
As Canada relies more heavily on skilled foreign labour to address workforce shortages, Bothwell-Accurate’s language training initiative sets a powerful example. By prioritizing safety and communication, Vassallo ensures his team’s success while fostering a culture of respect and inclusion.
