The expert's findings highlight an escalating shortage in skilled trades within Canada.
Revitalizing Canada's Skilled Trades Workforce
Canada's skilled trades workforce is facing an impending exodus as many workers approach retirement age. This looming shortage, which is also a concern across North America, has led industry leaders and the federal government to take action.
Ralph Cerasuolo, founder and CEO of Skilled Trades College, believes that the government's support for the skilled trades has been long overdue. He refers to the next generation of skilled trades workers as the "toolbelt generation." Cerasuolo is concerned that a tendency for young people to pursue university degrees over hands-on post-secondary training in the trades is one of the main issues facing the sector.
Recognising the importance of the skilled trades to the Canadian economy, the federal government has made addressing the shortage of skilled labourers a priority. In a news release in early April, former Governor General David Johnston, now the chief advocate for post-secondary education and training, stated, "The next decades are going to be a great time to be in the skilled trades."
The Liberal Party has proposed a plan to cover apprenticeship training costs up to $8,000 for those entering the skilled trades industry. This financial support is part of a broader strategy to attract more young people to the trades.
Government initiatives include a $3.54 million investment in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Office to Advance Women Apprentices. This program supports an all-female renovation crew apprenticeship program, providing safety training, mentorship, and work towards Red Seal certification. Other initiatives focus on priority immigration for skilled trades workers and financial subsidies for skills training in rural, Indigenous, and underserved communities.
Industry and workforce organizations are also collaborating to provide upskilling in sectors that overlap with trades and advanced manufacturing. This collaboration aims to better align training with job-market needs.
By attracting more young people to the skilled trades, these efforts aim to address labor shortages, enhance economic resilience and productivity, increase workforce diversity, improve labor mobility, and support regional economic development.
Cerasuolo suggests that the message encouraging young people to pursue university should be changed to highlight skilled trades as a viable career path. He asserts that AI may replace many jobs, but it has no way to replicate the output of a skilled tradesperson at this time. He believes that the shortage of skilled tradespeople may provide an opportunity for young people looking to carve out a career in the industry.
However, with only one young worker replacing every seven tradespeople that leave the space, it is clear that more needs to be done to ensure the future of Canada's skilled trades workforce. The next decades could indeed be a great time to be in the skilled trades, but only if the necessary steps are taken to attract and train the next generation of tradespeople.
- The impending retirement of many skilled trades workers in Canada creates a looming shortage, a concern highlighted across North America, leading industry leaders and the government to take action.
- Ralph Cerasuolo, head of Skilled Trades College, views government support for the skilled trades as long overdue, referring to the next generation of skilled trades workers as the "toolbelt generation."
- The federal government recognizes the importance of the skilled trades to the Canadian economy and has made addressing the shortage of skilled laborers a priority, aiming to attract more young people to the trades.
- The Liberal Party has proposed covering apprenticeship training costs up to $8,000 for those entering the skilled trades industry, part of a broader strategy to encourage more young people to join the trades.
- Government initiatives include support for an all-female renovation crew apprenticeship program in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as priority immigration for skilled trades workers and financial subsidies for skills training in rural, Indigenous, and underserved communities.
- Industry and workforce organizations are collaborating to provide upskilling in sectors that overlap with trades and advanced manufacturing, aiming to align training with job-market needs and support career development in the skilled trades sector, especially through job-search and skills-training opportunities.
