Trades offer lifelong set of worthy skills

Encouraging a new generation of tradespeople to enter the workforce is important to keep momentum going

With International Women’s Day just behind us, and Skills Ontario and Skills Canada competitions coming up in the next few months, it felt like a good time to talk about encouraging the next generation to take up the mantle to give the trades a try.

Did you know Canada is facing an estimated shortage of skilled trades workers? The old guard is set to retire in the next few years, and without enough new workers coming in to replace them, we could be facing serious setbacks to our Canadian infrastructure.

The construction industry builds the world around us. Our homes, schools, hospitals and our roads are driven by the trades. It’s important that we support people who have an interest in the trades so that as the current generation of tradespeople starts to retire we have new blood who are passionate about taking the reins.

I learned from my dad. When I was growing up, I used to watch him as he worked, and I was so amazed by what he could accomplish. He took notice of my interest and started to teach me everything he knew. For me, the trades were an exciting place to be — and now I’ve been part of this wonderful industry for decades.

I love that my kids got involved in the trades, too (though it helped that I’m their dad), and it’s even better that they’ve joined my crew. But not every kid is going to have that advantage and it’s just as important to encourage anyone with an interest to explore it as a viable career option.

You can make a good living in the trades — and it’s an exciting field to work in. I know I’ve never had two days quite the same. And I love that at the end of a tough job, I can take a step back and look at what I’ve built, see the joy on homeowners’ faces and know I’ve been able to help make their idea a reality. It’s hard to beat that kind of job satisfaction.

I love organizations like Skills Canada because they provide valuable hands-on experience for high school students to try a trade and figure out if it’s a career path they want to pursue. My daughter, Sherry, used to resist my encouragement to join the trades, but once I convinced her to try it out with us, she fell in love with it. Now she’s flourishing as a member of my crew.

Skills Canada focuses on educating students about a wide variety of trades and creating the next generation of leaders in those fields. They’ve got the ones you’ll likely think of immediately like carpentry, plumbing and welding, but did you know that hairstyling, cooking and fashion are also part of the skilled trades?

My biggest piece of advice for young people looking into the trades is to understand it’s not an easy job. I don’t like seeing people treat the trades as a fallback career, because it takes a lot of time, dedication and education to master a trade. Being a tradesperson takes many skills — you need communication, patience and the ability to think 10 steps ahead. It’s not for the faint of heart — but if you’re passionate about it, you’ll have a career for life. My dad taught me that if you’re going to do it, you need to do it right the first time. It’s something that I work to teach my apprentices.

If I’ve got one call to action, it’s that I want to see parents and guardians of our newest generation encourage them to keep an open mind when it comes to the trades. And if you’re thinking of making a career change, the skilled trades are a great place to be, no matter your age. I’ve seen lawyers walk away from their field to pick up a hammer and they’ve never been happier.