In Wednesday's edition of The Globe and Mail, writer Rob Carrick published a story titled "Why we should all care about student debt." Many of Carrick's observations shouldn't come as a surprise. He warns parents to start saving earlier, to meet the rising costs of education; he notes, as those Montreal student protestors did, that the government won't be doing anything to alleviate student debt anytime soon; and he states, as many have, that debt is often pushing back the age when people buy houses, cars, or settle into families.
None of these are surprises. From my perspective—and hey, I just paid off my loan, thankfully—Carrick's recommendations seem common-sense. But Carrick's most salient point comes when he states that the "public school system is part of the problem." He says that those schools—and where they choose to stream their young minds—aren't leading students down productive paths. They're leading their graduates into low-paying careers, the types that are ill-equipped to pay down student debts. And sometimes, the public-school system can just lead students down hilariously misguided paths. (Carrick, for his part, cites that a school questionnaire stated his son should pursue being a "religious leader.")
So, in the spirit of the back-to-school season, it's time rethink where school is leading us. Will your education lead you to a fulfilling career? If so, great. If not—and again, this is something Carrick and I can agree upon—there are more practical solutions. Namely, the trades. -Mark Teo
Canadian cites are growing bigger and better. Looking at our skylines, we see beautiful new buildings, countless cultural events, and booming sports facilities. But it’s what we don’t see that’s worrisome.
The infrastructures of urban Canada have not upgraded in decades. Toronto’s watermains, for example, are a century old, comprised of metal pipes that have aged and rusted. The city’s sewage system is no longer strong enough to handle severe storms, often backing up and flooding homes and businesses. And as condos pop up at every possible corner, there are increasing demands on the pipes meant for single family homes.
As a result, the city of Toronto experiences 1,400 watermain breaks annually. An aging electricity system is also causing severe problems, including power outages that last longer than ever before. Roughly 29 percent of Toronto Hydro’s assets are already beyond their useful life. And when you factor in the deteriorating conditions of Canada’s roads and bridges, what’s hidden from sight becomes clear: our infrastructure is in crisis.
These increasingly regular emergency watermain breaks, power outages, road and bridge repair projects, etc., mean more and more work for municipal emergency workers who are called in to repair these issues. And as one can guess, the demand for these specialized skilled trades workers is only growing.
Ontario alone will face up to one million skilled jobs vacancies by 2021. Geurt Van de Kraats, chair of Apprenticeship and Skilled Trades at George Brown College states, “To maintain a city, it takes all sorts of skills. All sorts of work gets done out of sight, underground, and its all done by a lot of technical savvy people … what would happen if we didn’t have them?”
There’s a wide range of jobs to be had. Gary Dyck, communications officer for the City of Edmonton, says, “We’ll continue to recruit a variety of trade positions. Any of the mechanical trades, such as heavy-duty mechanics, HVAC technicians, electricians, and auto body technicians will see continued demand over the next five years.”
Training in many of the skilled trades can be gained at community colleges. “For the basic trades there’s a minimum grade 12 entry into the industry. After that there are three levels of compulsory training,” Van de Kraats says. “These training sessions are a mix of theory and shop practices … students receive credits for the time they put in, and in many cases, employers look for the fact that they have passed trade school.”
Reid Campbell, director of Water Services for Halifax Water says, “We get a lot of our new employees from the community college system. They have a water resources engineering technology program, and we get most of our technically trained water and waste water employees from that. The pollution prevention technicians come from that program as well. We have 425 employees, and close to 100 of them come from community colleges.”
Most trades require apprenticeships, where you “earn while you learn.” Becoming a powerline worker, for example, requires a four year apprenticeship program at 2,000 hours per year. Nova Scotia Power hires powerline workers from the utility line worker program at Nova Scotia Community College and provides them with an apprenticeship through the company. This trade carries a Red Seal designation, a recognition of the interprovincial standard of excellence. Wages for powerline workers range from $12 to $33 an hour. Pipefitters have similar requirements with the completion of a four to five-year apprenticeship program and subsequent trade certification.
While most students today look to university as the ticket to their future, skilled trades also offers many opportunities for advancement into supervisory and management positions. For many, the opportunity to be outdoors, and do hands-on work is appealing. Skilled tradespeople keep our cities functioning and have a huge impact on the quality of our lives.
Why consider a skilled trade?
Important work: A solid infrastructure supports a growing economy
Job Opportunities: Skilled trades are in demand across Canada
Good Pay: Apprenticeships are paid and tradespeople earn 3.1% above the average of all careers combined in Canada
Work variety: An increasing reliance on technology means there is a balance of technical and hands-on work