Feds launch campaign to promote skilled trades to youth
The federal government is jumping on board the movement to recruit more people into Canada’s skilled trades.
At the end of January, the federal Ministry of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion announced that it had launched an advertising campaign and a website aimed at promoting the trades as a first-choice career option for young people.
“Canada’s workforce needs more skilled trade workers,” said Minister Carla Qualtrough. “They have expertise and skills that are essential to our economy and our way of life. When Canadians are contemplating a new career, we want them to consider entering the skilled trades and to understand the exciting, well-paying opportunities that they present.”
The new comes at a time when the skilled trades are facing dire shortages. Projections suggest that about 700,000 skilled trades workers will retire between 2019 and 2028. The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum estimates an average of around 75,000 new apprentices will need to be hired per year in the next five years to meet the demand for skilled journeypersons in Red Seal trades. Those trades most at risk of not meeting the demand include welder, industrial mechanic (millwright), bricklayer and boilermaker.
Indeed, demand for construction trades is likely to remain high. Buildforce Canada’s last labour market projection suggests that the industry will need to recruit 309,000 new workers through 2030 to replace retiring workers, and keep up with demand.
“As Canada experiences more shortages in the skilled trades, it is more important than ever to reach young Canadians from all backgrounds and show them how the trades offer rewarding and high-paying careers,” said Matt Wayland of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. “Whether it is building a new hospital or school in your community, to the greenest skyscrapers or clean renewable power plants that will help Canada meet our climate change goals, the skilled trades will be front and centre in tackling the country’s greatest challenges and building a greener, more resilient future.”
The website, www.Canada.ca/skilled-trades, offers a one-stop national repository for information about the skilled trades. The site will help visitors learn about the more than 300 skilled trades in Canada and the Red Seal trade designation. It also highlights in-demand trades in each region, and any financial support programs offered by the federal government.
The advertising campaign, which runs under the banner of “Follow your passion. Find your skilled trade.” aims to target youth and young adults through social media platforms, websites, campus billboards, public transit and national broadcast media.
The campaign was developed with insights and contributions from a special advisory committee composed of prominent representatives from the trades, including: Jamie McMillan, an ironworker and boilermaker by trade; Mandy Rennehan, the chief executive officer and founder of contracting firm Freshco; France Daviault, the executive director of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum; and IBEW’s Matt Wayland.
The federal government has pledged to invest nearly $1 billion annually in apprenticeship supports through grants, loans, tax credits, Employment Insurance benefits during in-school training, project funding, and support for the Red Seal Program, in addition to existing funding programs.