So for young people considering a lucrative career choice – why not the trades?
For a solid career as a tradesperson, it’s highly recommended to obtain a Red Seal endorsement through the British Columbia Industry Training Authority. Here’s a list of all the trades programs managed through ITA – 49 of which are Red Seal. There are lots of choices within lots of disciplines - everything from bricklayers to bakers.
Our co-founder, Daniel Greenhalgh, points out that at ENM and other construction companies, most supervisors are nearing retiring age. “We’re going to see a real drop-off in terms of numbers of qualified supervisors and qualified tradespeople as the boomers start to retire. In their generation, there wasn’t the same stigma around a blue-collar career. It was considered an honorable path, and it was tougher to get into. Now, young people think a trades career is like they’re settling for something less. Meanwhile, supervisors are making about $140,000 a year, and IT guys and programmers are desperate for work.”
Dan laid out the path to a Red Seal trade career. “The first step is an apprenticeship, which lasts about four years. It’s a combination of on the job training and classroom learning and it leads to a trade credential, or ticket.”
For the last two years of this apprenticeship, you’re considered a journeyman, which involves a different amount of work hours. Every year brings a wage increase. “A lot of small businesses who need workers hire these apprentices and train them up. It’s good for them, but then after it’s over, most of them get poached by larger organizations, and the small businesses can’t afford to keep them on. So it’s kind of a mixed blessing for them, to put in all that time training someone and then see them move on. They can’t afford to pay $40/hour for a certified tradesperson.”
Dan feels there should be subsidies for small businesses that put in this time to train the country’s new generation of tradespeople. “There is clearly that benefit of short-term labor, but I think the service they’re performing for society should earn them more benefits. All of that training comes right out of a small business’s pocket. So I think there should be subsidy programs for businesses and organizations that hire apprentices. They get these workers on their feet and then have to start again from scratch with a new batch of apprentices.”
