Last week, I covered what I thought was the obvious. The number of tradespeople in our country, especially younger people getting into trades, is diminishing.
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It starkly contrasts our government needing those same people to build housing, etc., for our country.
So, how can it be fixed? A few suggestions I picked up from my time at a trades event in Ontario.
One of the most significant issues identified in some trades is the ability for apprentices to find journeymen. Until a few years ago, companies that took on apprentices received a federal tax break.
It takes time to teach people. Think about yourself at your job. When you first started, you messed up, and people had to help you. As you continued, you got better and didn’t “waste” the teacher’s time.
The businesspeople I spoke with noted that having a tax write-off for journeymen and businesses that take on apprentices would go a long way toward clearing a perceived backlog.
Secondly, we need to change the inherent bias in the school system and bring trades back.
In much of our country, welding, shop, mechanics and wood shop have been removed from the curriculum. This allows for a gap in understanding what students might want to do as they age.
If they are only presented with university degree jobs as a way to make good money, they think it’s all that’s out there. Many trades have a great chance of earning you good money, in many cases, with little student debt.
One last fact about the bias in high schools when it comes to higher learning. In 2023, scholarships across Canada for university students represented 53 per cent of those handed out. For college ( many of which are trades-based), only 27 per cent of scholarships were designed for that.
Locally, Metal Supermarkets recently announced four $2,500 scholarships for skilled trades. This needs to be done more and more across our country.
Lastly, we need to tell the stories of tradespeople and share their accomplishments in the classroom as much as possible.
Just like we champion doctors, lawyers and multiple other “higher education jobs.”
Next week, I’ll touch on what is being done locally to promote trades inside our community.
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