By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—With approximately 360,000 jobs currently unfilled in Ontario, and projections of ongoing shortages in the skilled trades, now is a great time to enter the field. Getting started in a skilled trade can seem like an overwhelming process, but several tools exist to help those interested get training for a rewarding, hands-on career.
Trades For Tomorrow
At the top of a prospective tradesperson’s list should be Trades For Tomorrow (TFT), a new sponsor group funded in part by the provincial and federal governments.
TFT Marketing Manager Caitlin Cannon explained, “The construction industry is facing a shortage of skilled workers in the next 10 years, and with that knowledge, there has been a push for people to consider apprenticeships in the skilled trades.”
TFT offers support to both apprentices and employers by orienting, training, and placing qualified apprentices with the right employer, streamlining the pathway to success for trainees for a higher apprenticeship completion rate in Ontario. TFT offers the following:
- Assisting job-ready apprentices with finding placements.
- Supporting apprentices through the complete apprenticeship cycle, from registration to certification.
- Providing a mentor as an independent expert and resource.
- Rotation of apprentices for exposure to all aspects of the trade, hours and skills tracking, and additional training as required.
- Resources from industry stakeholders, government ministries, trade licensing authorities, college, and employment Ontario agencies.
- Help applying for financial aid.
- Providing exam preparation aid to successfully complete the Certification of Qualification.
Notes from HN’s MPP
Haldimand Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady shared, “The current government has major skin in the labour game, because in order to fulfill its infrastructure and 1.5 million homes promises, it will need 100,000 more construction workers to get the job done.”
Brady said that manufacturing and construction employers in the Grand Erie region have recorded a decrease in total employees in the post-pandemic era due to a “unique set of challenges,” such as difficulties hiring for certain occupations: “While employment did rise in 2022 after a steep decline over the past year, hiring challenges appear to be slowing this growth slightly.”
She hopes that programs like TFT encourage a new generation of local skilled labour workers in a broad spectrum of fields to consider working in Haldimand. She listed other local options that might assist those looking to enter the skilled trades workforce or acquire training, including:
- Employment Ontario’s Better Jobs Ontario program for skills gaps.
- Constructionontario.ca/find-jobs for those with existing skills to search for local jobs.
- Skills2Advance, offering tuition-free welding and welding-specific soft skills training to 150 marginalized job seekers and those most impacted by COVID-19 including women, youth, persons with disabilities, immigrants, and Indigenous peoples.
- Canada-Ontario Job Grant, offered from Fanshawe College Simcoe.
- Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie/Ontario’s Skills Development Fund.
“We hear from business owners who need skilled trades people and they are frustrated that not only is there a lack of people interested in skilled trades, but also that students coming don’t necessarily have the required skills to get the job done. That’s why it’s so important that we have hands-on training with potential employers. Perhaps expanded apprenticeship is needed,” said Brady.
She shared an example of a Hagersville business, Simplicity Air, which has its own internal training program, adding, “It’s a win-win situation.”
Brady concluded by encouraging anyone with a passing interest to consider a career in the skilled trades: “There is a shortage of skilled trades workers and thousands of related job opportunities. Basically, skilled trade workers are in demand and there currently aren’t enough to fill all the openings – that means employers must make attractive offers and appealing work environments.”
