Solutions to The Canadian Trade Shortage
In ongoing discussions of employment in Canada, a controversial issue has been whether there is demand a demand for jobs in the skilled trade sector. One one hand, some argue that the sector is already saturated and has no need for increased education and training. On the other hand, however, others argue that the development of skilled trades is failing and will lead to a collapse in the trade sector. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce [OCC] is one of the main proponents of this view in Canada. They state that “If this shortage is not addressed it will impede Ontario businesses' ability to compete and grow, hurting our province's competitiveness and economy.” (Taking 8 2005) According to this view, Canada …show more content…
The “OCC” notes that the cost of apprenticeships is high for private companies and that it is hard for them to justify given the apprentices have no obligation to stay with the company after receiving a recognized certification (Taking 20). This creates a lot of risk for companies training apprentices, the government needs to take a more active role in supporting the costs of on the job training for apprentices(Taking 11; Accessing 31). WorkBC suggests another short-term solution, recruiting foreign workers (WorkBC 20 2007). However this does not address the underlying issue, not enough people are being introduced to the trades in Canada and would only temporarily solve the problem (Galarneau 10; Pyper 5). Longer term solutions are more effective however would not come in to play right …show more content…
Students are currently under informed about trades and led to believe that they are “dead end” jobs by both parents and educators (Solving 14; WorkBC 20). In a 2004 report from the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, the main barriers young people encounter while entering apprenticeships stem from negative attitudes towards apprenticeships and from a lack of information about apprenticeships (Accessing 10). The forum suggests a greater intertwining of apprenticeship programs in high schools will help spread information and reduce the negative stigma associated with the trades (Accessing 17-19). Another suggested solution to the negative connotation of the trades is for the government to actively address the issue and market the trades to students as a good career path, not a fallback option. A better balance needs to be struck between students attending university and those entering the
In ongoing discussions of employment in Canada, a controversial issue has been whether there is demand a demand for jobs in the skilled trade sector. One one hand, some argue that the sector is already saturated and has no need for increased education and training. On the other hand, however, others argue that the development of skilled trades is failing and will lead to a collapse in the trade sector. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce [OCC] is one of the main proponents of this view in Canada. They state that “If this shortage is not addressed it will impede Ontario businesses' ability to compete and grow, hurting our province's competitiveness and economy.” (Taking 8 2005) According to this view, Canada …show more content…
The “OCC” notes that the cost of apprenticeships is high for private companies and that it is hard for them to justify given the apprentices have no obligation to stay with the company after receiving a recognized certification (Taking 20). This creates a lot of risk for companies training apprentices, the government needs to take a more active role in supporting the costs of on the job training for apprentices(Taking 11; Accessing 31). WorkBC suggests another short-term solution, recruiting foreign workers (WorkBC 20 2007). However this does not address the underlying issue, not enough people are being introduced to the trades in Canada and would only temporarily solve the problem (Galarneau 10; Pyper 5). Longer term solutions are more effective however would not come in to play right …show more content…
Students are currently under informed about trades and led to believe that they are “dead end” jobs by both parents and educators (Solving 14; WorkBC 20). In a 2004 report from the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, the main barriers young people encounter while entering apprenticeships stem from negative attitudes towards apprenticeships and from a lack of information about apprenticeships (Accessing 10). The forum suggests a greater intertwining of apprenticeship programs in high schools will help spread information and reduce the negative stigma associated with the trades (Accessing 17-19). Another suggested solution to the negative connotation of the trades is for the government to actively address the issue and market the trades to students as a good career path, not a fallback option. A better balance needs to be struck between students attending university and those entering the