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