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The Lloydminster Construction Association (LCA) and its partners are bringing back the popular Bi-Provincial Try-A-Trade after a three-year hiatus.
Hundreds of students from bordering regions will bus to the Lloydminster Exhibition Grounds on April 26 to consider careers in 51 designated trades with seven industries represented.
LCA executive director, Dorothy Carson, says it feels really good to have it back after it was last held in 2019 before being cancelled for the next three years due to the pandemic.
“With the employers in our area struggling for workers, it will be a great opportunity to promote the trades to the youth,” said Carson.
“Everybody is really encouraged and glad to have it back.”
It’s still early days for the organizing, but Carson reports they already have more than 1,000 students registered, along with sponsorships and participating trades.
“Basically, it’s a trades and technology event, so we’re looking for schools and business owners to provide information on trades they are involved in,” explained Carson.
She says there’s a few loose ends to tie down in the coming weeks.
“We’re still looking for more trades exhibitors to join us. We’re looking for companies to set up hands-on demos so they can talk with students and show them a little bit about their trade,” said Carson.
New this year will be rolling 15-minute presentations by the Saskatchewan government about all of their trades-related resources along with scheduled trades talks by industry reps.
“It’s something all the students can listen to while they’re mingling around the booths,” said Carson.
Post-secondary trades educators such as Lakeland College, Saskatchewan Polytechnic and Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies, will also be on hand to explain learning paths to careers in trades.
The event will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is open to the public and home-schooled students.
Aside from the Try-A-Trade, the LCA is bringing back a slew of other events this year including a job fair in early March with the date yet to be nailed down.
“There are a lot of employers looking for workers,” said Carson.
According to StatsCan, there were about 100,000 job vacancies in as of Alberta alone last quarter, with worker shortages in construction high on the list.
The LCA will also hold its annual general meeting in March along with an “owners’ forum” for large employers like Lakeland College and the City of Lloydminster to roll out their lists of capital projects for 2023.
“Throughout the Lakeland region, there are quite a few projects,” said Carson.
“In 2022, Lloydminster actually posted the second largest amount of major projects for the province of Alberta on our BuildWorks service, including the Canadian Tire relocation and expansion.
The LCA plans to celebrate Construction Week from April 23-28 with events and contests to promote the industry and workers in the skilled construction trades.
Business Education month will be held in May followed by the LCA’s annual golf tournament in June.
