Ontario Municipal Human Resources Association

In a market where salaries and perks steal the spotlight, one powerful tool remains underused, and it could change everything.

The race for talent is fierce, and municipalities are up against private employers offering speed, flexibility, and higher salaries. But there is one advantage municipalities often overlook: TRAINING. Used strategically, it can transform recruitment and retention, and it might just be the gamechanger your workforce needs.

To compete, municipalities must position themselves as places to grow a career, not just hold a job. This means offering structured onboarding, continuous learning, and leadership development pathways that signal long-term investment in employee success.

Training as a recruitment magnet

When municipalities highlight training in their recruitment messaging, they signal a culture of growth and development. Many candidates, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, prefer employers who invest in skills development. Offering structured, accessible training programs, such as online courses, upskilling, and both soft skills and technical development, is a powerful draw, especially when opportunities are clearly outlined.

A 2024/2025 report from Statistics Canada shows that about 40.3% of public sector employees took some form of training outside formal education.

Supporting this trend, the 2024 Angus Reid Institute Upskilling Sentiment Survey found that 60% of Canadians consider upskilling very important for career advancement, and https://www.talentcanada.ca/canadians-are-more-likely-to-stay-at-companies-that-invest-in-training-survey/?utm_source=chatgpt.com 72% of Millennials and 71% of Gen Z say they wish companies would prioritize skills and training.

Training as a Strategic Incentive for Retention

Training is also a powerful driver of retention. 91% of job seekers say they are more likely to stay with an employer that provides training to help close skills gaps. Structured learning programs, including certificates, signal to employees that the organization is committed to their growth.

Recent Canadian municipal surveys reinforce the impact of training on retention:

Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) – Municipal Employee Survey 2024

• 65% of municipal employees cited professional development and training opportunities as a top factor influencing their decision to stay.
• 58% said they would be more likely to remain if municipalities invested more in skill building and career pathways.

CUPE Ontario – Municipal Worker Survey 2024

• 62% of frontline municipal workers identified lack of training and career development as a key reason they might leave.
• 70% indicated they would be more committed to staying if municipalities offered structured skill-building and advancement opportunities.

To attract and retain top talent, municipalities should make training a core part of their strategy.

Steps Municipalities Can Take Now

1. Publish a Municipal Career Framework and embed training in the recruitment message.

• Highlight learning pathways in job postings, interviews, and onboarding to show candidates you invest in growth.
• Illustrate advancement for typical municipal roles (e.g., Building Inspector → Senior Inspector → Manager of Building Services).

2. Standardize onboarding.

• Use on-demand training, such as e-Learning, to reduce consultant costs, minimize time away from work, and ease the strain of constant onboarding. Instead of reinventing the wheel for every new hire, put a system in place that is cost-effective to deliver consistent, job-ready skills anytime.

3. Measure and communicate outcomes.

• Track metrics like time-to-fill, time-to-competency, internal promotions, and training completion. Share success stories in recruitment campaigns.

4. Partner locally

• Collaborate with colleges, trade schools, and community organizations to create pipelines for hard-to-fill technical and trades roles.

5. Invest in manager capability.

• Managers are the top reason employees stay or leave. Training managers in coaching and career path development pay dividends for employees to stay.
• Use training to prepare employees for career development and leadership roles, reducing reliance on costly external hires. Replacing managers is costly and often leaves critical skills and talent gaps.

Training: Your Secret Weapon for Recruitment and Retention

Municipalities that succeed in attracting and keeping top talent will be those that position themselves as places to build a career, not just take a job. By offering structured, accessible, and employer-supported training, it creates a powerful pull for younger workers who value career growth. When training is embedded into your municipal identity, clearly communicated in recruitment, and measured for outcomes, the benefits are clear: faster hiring, lower turnover, and a skilled, committed workforce ready to serve the community.

A well-trained municipal workforce contributes significantly to its primary mandate in service delivery excellence which municipal leaders such as CAO, City Managers, Mayors & Councilors demand and value. Training is not just an HR task; it is the strategic advantage municipalities need to compete for talent today.