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Beselaere says parents, teachers and guidance counsellors need to be made more informed of the realities
of career options in the trades and technical arenas.
“Many young people make career decisions based on information provided for them by parents, teachers and
guidance counsellors,” he says. “How the older generation perceives careers in these fields is
important.”
As it stands, important work across the country is not getting done at the pace it should because of
critical labour shortages and many business are delaying expansion plans.
“I believe that the implications on our economy could be profound,” Beselaere says. “The most obvious
would be our ability to compete on the world stage. Our greatest resource is our people. Without skilled
workers, production would decrease, innovation would suffer and, most importantly, the quality of life we are
accustomed to would not be the same.”
LaSage concurs: “Skilled trades are imperative to our way of life. The buildings we live in were built by
a tradespersons, the sinks we wash in were made by a tradesperson, the cars we drive to work–also created,
designed and assembled by tradespeople. Skilled trades are crucial and fundamental to our society and
economy. As long as there are people, there will be a demand in skilled trades.”
Article originally published in Volume 5-2 of Your Workplace magazine |