We Need More People in the Skilled Trades For decades, we’ve been hearing about the shortage of people entering the skilled trades, and it seems like the problem is getting worse, not better. Projected shortages are getting larger, and the reason is that the trades supposedly have an image problem. I don’t think it is that simple, and better marketing
Your Chances of Getting an Apprenticeship: By the Numbers By any measure, Ontario is desperately short of skilled tradespeople. We need people now, but the first step in becoming a tradesperson is to get signed as an apprentice. The only way into a skilled trade is to complete an apprenticeship. You’d think that with the shortage, almost everyone who wants
What’s the Highest Paying Trade in Ontario in 2024? Many of our prospective students ask some version of the question, “what is the highest paying trade in Ontario?” We understand the impulse behind this – many people want to go into a field where they can make the most money. University students ask the same question, “what subject should I
How to Become a Skilled Trades Apprentice in Ontario in 2024 The first step in taking advantage of the tremendous opportunities in the skilled trades is to become an apprentice. We get questions from prospective students almost every day that ask us how to do this. They’ve often done an online search, but even after that they don’t have a
Should Your College Find You an Apprenticeship?Matching Students with Local Jobs in the Trades Students go to college or university to get jobs. This is the overwhelming reason that students and parents give for going to college and it has been true for decades. Despite the other reasons why people pursue post-secondary education, and there are some, it is naive
Company Costs in Hiring Apprentices and Why it Matters An apprenticeship is a form of education. Knowledge and skill are transmitted to students who earn a credential, and in many trades the credential is required in order to work in that trade. What is different about an apprenticeship vs college or university is where the learning takes place. And this
The Sizzle of the Trades Becoming a skilled trades apprentice opens up a massive range of career possibilities. More people are being attracted to these opportunities, in part because HGTV and the various renovation and real-estate shows play up the glamorous parts of trades jobs. While this is all good for generating interest, it is not sufficient for actually getting
The Physical And Mental Demands Of The Skilled Trades From A Trades Guy… The skilled trades are a fantastic career. I have worked in the skilled trades for 30 years and the opportunities and pathways provided to me have been fantastic. The skilled trades are unlike any other professional career. Every day you are challenged both mentally and physically to
Is it Hard to Get an Apprenticeship in Ontario in 2024? Ontario needs over 100,000 new tradespeople in the next five years. With all that demand, getting an apprenticeship should be easy. However, it is the most difficult step in becoming a journeyperson. This is partly because companies cannot afford to take on poor apprentices, and partly because some would-be
What is the Purpose of an Apprenticeship? Apprenticeships are an educational model with a long history. They were initially conceived as a way to educate the whole person – to teach someone how to be a contributing member of the community as well as a skilled artisan. And it was critical that the apprentice be a good citizen first, before
What is a Millwright? From a trades guy… Hello everyone, this is Joel Boyd from Trade Smart College. I am the senior Instructor here, and if you choose to enrol in our program, you will be spending 8 weeks with me in the classroom. I am a certified red seal millwright with 30 years experience in the trades. At Trade
