Why we’re spending billions to attract more people into skilled trades

Last month, Mark Carney’s Liberal government announced a $6-billion plan to help recruit, train and hire up to 100,000 new skilled tradespeople over the next five years.

The plan acknowledges a longstanding concern: that Canada has an urgent need for more carpenters, plumbers, millwrights and heavy equipment operators.

Among the new initiatives is a $5,000 bonus when a worker completes their Red Seal certification, a process Ottawa also wants to modernize by introducing online exams, digital logbooks and creating a single national registered apprenticeship number.

On this week's episode of Village Media's Closer Look podcast, we revisit a recent interview with Ian Howcroft of Skills Ontario, an organization that empowers youth to explore careers in skilled trades and technologies.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

You're not going to replace your plumber with AI, at least not for the foreseeable future. So a lot of these trades will use technology, we'll use AI, but not to replace it, but to enhance and to make the work a little different, perhaps.

SPEAKER_02 0:38

Yeah, I know. You were out of time at last. Were you missed you? Were you okay last time? You know what? It's never the same. Is it lonely? I feel like I'm talking to myself.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Most people wonder that about you anyway, that you're walking around talking to yourself. Wouldn't be the first time. You actually do. People see you walking around. I'm rehearsing. You're practicing, yeah, yeah. You turned around and let's talk into the wall.

SPEAKER_02 0:56

You set the bar so high that I need to continually practice. Yeah, okay. Talk to myself. Good one. Uh it's Sunday, the uh 24th uh day of May 2026, or May 2-4, as many of us here in the province uh refer to it, even though the long weekend uh was last weekend. Not a lot has changed uh since you were last year. The uh Ford government's still in the news. In fact, uh a great story from our own Catherine De Klerk on cuts to OSAP.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Yeah, it's a good way to get into the show. Uh if if you the it ran on a lot of the sites uh we have across our network. Basically, she did an FOI request, and we're an FOI request, obviously, some we talked about a lot. Right. Just getting the data of where the OSAP grants are going, right? And what it it goes to the heart of the question that the Ford government's been talking about about how they said we need to cut these grants. It's too much, we can't be giving out as much as we did. But what she discovered is that that over the last few years, the amount of grants going to kids who are going to these private career colleges actually skyrocketed. It's actually 40% of the amount of these grants. Whereas the the OSAP money going to college and university students had kind of remained steady over the last few years. So it just kind of begs the question well, why is all why is why is the money going toward that? Right? Why is that why is that where it's going? Uh, it raises a whole lot of questions. Uh, but again, a great use of the FOI system that we've been talking a lot about on this show. Right. And, you know, at the same time, the Trillium team has a story about how the FOI uh departments have actually been ordered to kind of freeze what they're doing in the midst of all the changes that are happening. They're not even responding to regular requests right now. So there's all kinds of things happening on that front. But to me, the OSAP question, the OSAP question will be one that we'll continue to report on and will continue to be a thing. And what I found interesting too is that the premier also framed it as make sure if you're a young person right now, really think hard about what you're doing. Don't go, what do you say, basket weaving, don't go into battery, right? But which you and I both have selled at, by the way. Well, I was expert at that. I have so many baskets. But the reality is it is a fair question to be asked. Yeah, right. We talked about this before, too. If you have a kid like I do, other people do who are coming through finishing high school, wondering what they're gonna do with their life, you know, what are you gonna rack up $100,000, $120,000 in student loans to get a degree that might not help you, especially in the way the economy is shifting and the way AI is is is evolving at such a rapid pace. It's hard to even give advice to young kids. Like I have I have uh nephews and nieces in university right now, and I don't even know what to tell them in terms of like what path would you go on because who knows what how that's gonna change things in the next five years. But at the same time, the Kearney government also announced uh recently the launch of their six billion dollar kind of Team Canada Strong, they're calling it. They want it's a five-year federal strategy to recruit, train, and hire up to 100,000 new red sealed trades workers uh uh to replace of the vast majority who are gonna retire in the next few years, right? So when we've been hearing this a lot, even for the last two years, about this push towards skilled trades. Um, but it is an important conversation and one that's still not happening enough. That kids in in this at these economically uncertain times, this is a great option for them, right? And we had a a great guest on it a few weeks ago who chatted about who was that.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

Yeah, that was uh Ian Howcroft. He's the uh CEO of Skills Ontario and certainly a conversation uh worth revisiting. Ontario has spent years talking about a skilled trade shortage. Now throw artificial intelligence into the mix, and the question becomes a lot more complicated while AI is reshaping how we work. It's not fixing the fact that we still don't have enough welders, electricians, or HVAC techs to meet demand. So where is this all going? Are we preparing people for the jobs that actually exist or the ones that we think are coming? Ian Howcroft from Skills Ontario joins us tonight to talk about what the labor market really looks like right now and what it is going to take to keep up. Ian, welcome to the program. It's great to see you tonight.

SPEAKER_03 4:46

Happy to be here.

SPEAKER_02 4:47

Thanks very much for the invitation. Ian, uh, let's start if we can by telling our listeners and viewers uh a bit about your organization. What is Skills Ontario? What's your mission?

SPEAKER_03 4:56

Skills Ontario, our mission uh is to uh one, promote skill trades and technology careers to young people, or as we like to say now, we're changing lives and inspiring leaders through skill trades and technology. Uh getting the information, getting the pathways in front of young people, their parents, uh business, and others to make sure they're making uh decisions that will lead them to a satisfying and much needed career.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

All right, good stuff. Uh, thanks for that. We often hear again that uh Ontario is facing a critical skills uh skilled trades uh shortage, requiring over 100,000 new workers by the year 2030. What's driving that shortage?

SPEAKER_03 5:34

Well, there's a few things driving it. One, uh demographics. Uh many of those in the skilled trade careers are older and will be retiring and leaving the workforce. So, one, we have to find replacements for that. The economy has been expanding, uh, and we need to make sure that young people are aware of what these opportunities are all about. And we've seen estimates of uh 100,000, 200,000, 300,000 shortfall, depending on how you define skill trades. Ontario has 144 recognized skill trades in Ontario, and you throw in some of the other technology careers, you're dealing with uh with dozens and dozens more. And what we want to do is ensure young people are aware of the educational pathways they should be taking and how they can access some of the career pathways uh before it's too late. Um and I get well, I guess it's never too late, but uh, when the average age of an apprentice uh starting is 28, what we want to do is make sure young people are made aware of these things earlier. So if it is something they're interested in, if it is a pathway they'd like to explore, they can do it at an earlier stage in their life.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Ian, is it fair to say that we kind of got away from this? I feel like in like the 60s and 70s, trade schools in Ontario were a big thing. Lots of kids filtered to trade schools, then they kind of went away, and then now we're kind of dealing with the short. Is that a fair comment?

SPEAKER_03 6:50

I I that's the perception that many people have, and I think there's a lot of uh accuracy in that. Uh I think many schools uh close their what they call shop classes, industrial arts classes uh in the 70s and 80s. Uh they're coming back now, and there's some excellent facilities out there. But what we want to do is make sure that we have more of those skills, exploration, experiential opportunities available to young people. And that's what we do. We go into the schools and we talk about these career paths. We also want to provide uh an experiential opportunity to young people. We now have a fleet of six mobile units that we can take to schools, we can take to events, we can take to conferences that give that hands-on opportunity, see what it's like to operate a crane, to drive an excavator, to see what advanced manufacturing is all about, what electrical systems are like, what auto parts uh facilities are like. We have simulators there for welding and painting, and it's a great opportunity for young people to try a hand, try a trade uh as they're exploring what they might want to do for their future careers.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

That's cool. We should have had those back when I was in high school. It would have been great. Uh so if I'm a high school kid today, Ian, and I'm thinking about a career in the trades, what's the first thing I should do after I listen to this show? Because we're full of high school kids. High school kids are all over this show.

SPEAKER_03 8:07

Well, I I think uh I would I would recommend start getting information. Reach out to our websites, uh skillsOntario.com, our website, and others that are on there, so you can get some information. You can make some contacts, you can start building your network, uh, attend uh our our events. We will be hosting in just under a month from now the largest skills competition in the country at the Toronto Congress Center. We have over 2,900 registrations uh for uh competitors uh in 78 different contests. We also hold a very large uh conference for girls and young women. We hold a very large conference for indigenous youth. We have uh an entrepreneurship opportunity for those in high school that want to explore entrepreneurship. And we also have a guidance counselor conference. Uh last year we had about 425 to 450 guidance counselors out to learn about skill trades and uh so that they can provide that information so that they have uh the uh pathway information as to so they can share that with students in their school. So it's a wonderful event. We'll get 40 to 50,000 visitors out, and that's a great way to see what the skills are all about. You can watch the competition. We have a large career fair there, so you can try a trade and have an experiential opportunity by the uh 100 booths that we have set up there. It's it's a wonderful, wonderful opportunity. Uh, and just one way that we're offering that experienti uh as as well. We go into the schools. Last year we did about 2,600 presentations in schools. We hold about 100 events around the province for trade and tech days. Uh, some focused on underrepresented groups, but many for any student that would be interested in exploring what it's like to uh have a skill trade career opportunity.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

Good stuff. Ian, uh, what trades are in the highest demand right now?

SPEAKER_03 9:49

It depends on the the area. We know there's a shortage of uh of houses uh and homes. Uh that's a focus of the government, but there's a multifaceted issues with that, with the economy, uh, with interest rates, with the affordability issues. Uh so there is some uh bit of a slowdown in some areas, but we need we need carpenters. Uh we we need uh people on infrastructure, we need electricians, we need plumbers, we need welders, uh HVAC. Uh so those are some of the key ones that we're we're looking at. But we've expanded as well into some of the uh the higher tech uh aspects. Uh you mentioned AI and your your opening comments. So, how's that going to come into play? What are we going to do with that? We introduced a cybersecurity competition last year. We introduced an advanced manufacturing competition the year before that. So it's an evolving uh target that we have to make sure that we're staying relevant and uh the programming we offer resonates with young people. There is the traditional welder plumber uh aspects that will continue to be a uh great opportunity for many people. But as I said, there's 144 different jobs opportunities in the skill trades recognized by the uh government of Ontario.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Ian, uh Prime Minister Kearney and Premier Ford are definitely dreaming big, whether it's you know the big national projects that uh Mark Kearney's been announcing, uh the Ring of Fire, for example, in the province of Ontario. Is there a worry that we just won't have enough skilled workers to actually fulfill some of these things?

SPEAKER_03 11:13

That that's been the experience. That's why many of these jobs are going unfilled. So we want to start early. Uh and we go into the schools to do presentations uh for very young students, grade one, two, and three, obviously a different presentation than we're making in high school, but we want to make sure people are aware of that because it can take four or five years to get the skill training that you need. So if you don't start early enough, you may find that you've graduated high school, you're looking at what your next career opportunity could be. Oh, I wish I'd taken that science class, I wish I'd taken that math class because I need that now. So, what we want to do is give people the information, explore the opportunities, and find out what you need if that's something that you want to pursue. Uh, there's uh great careers out there, great university careers, great college careers, great skill trades careers. And what we're trying to do is ensure young people have that whole array of opportunities in front of them so they can make an educated decision as to what's best for them going forward.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Let's be honest, too. These are these are great paying jobs, right? These skill trades. Is that part of your pitch? Is that part of your pitch, Ian?

SPEAKER_03 12:12

Part of it is, yeah. It's uh quality of life, it's uh quality of life after work. Uh, what can you afford? And uh skilled trades provide people with uh with a great opportunity to have uh be well compensated. Many of them have pensions and benefit plans. Uh so uh it is something that we're trying to give the whole picture of. Take a look at what the job is and what uh the compensation is, what the benefits are, and what you can do to build on that. Many that start off as uh a skilled tradesperson may want to start their own business. That's why we were pleased to start offering some entrepreneurship information at our events as well.

SPEAKER_02 12:48

Ian, is it is it free to be trained? Is it all apprenticeships?

SPEAKER_03 12:52

Well, there's the apprenticeship is the is the key way. You uh you earn while you learn. Uh and uh uh but there's some that uh we we promote some ones that you go to you go to school for. Some c the colleges do the vast majority of uh skilled trades training in uh in Ontario. So the apprenticeship is uh is one important way, and we work with partners like uh ApprenticeSearch.com, which does a matching between uh those who are looking for apprentices and those who are apprentices. So we we partner with them in many of the events that they hold and that we hold so that we're not duplicating that uh I'm a big believer in partnerships. You know, let's uh let's find ways to collaborate, cooperate, and coordinate so that we're maximizing the impact and leverage of the resources that we have. So apprenticeship is a big part of what we're promoting, and it's a big part of what students can take advantage of.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

You know, I believe I've read somewhere there's about a 20% increase in women entering the apprenticeship and entering the trades. Is that accurate? And what and what's what's drawing more women to the trades? Is it because the messaging is better?

SPEAKER_03 13:50

I I I think so. Uh it it that's the information I've heard too, that the government keeps track of who's signing up for apprentices. So that's uh that's really good news. We have to make sure that we're tapping into the whole pool of uh future workers, and uh women are still significantly underrepresented in the skill trade. So it's good that it's increasing. We have to do more. And I think part of the answer is that there's groups like Skills Ontario, like Apprenticearch.com and others that are promoting this. We're making an effort to get out to young people. We're getting making an effort to get to underrepresented groups, whether it's women, indigenous, uh, and others that uh don't see themselves in in the workplace and finding ways that we can help them build their educational and career pathways forward to consider the skill trades and hopefully find a successful opportunity for themselves.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

We're certainly living in a time where the economy is very uncertain. We're all concerned about things we read every day and how things are going. Are trades economy proof, I guess, lack for a better term? Like, does that impact how you're how you're pitching this to young kids? Or is this one of those careers that no matter where the economy's going, you're still gonna have work?

SPEAKER_03 14:51

I I think the best thing you can do to prepare yourself for for the uncertainty is to get training. And in the skilled trades, that's an area where uh you're not going to replace your plumber with AI, at least not uh for the foreseeable future. So a lot of these trades will use technology, we'll use AI, uh, but not to replace it, but to enhance and to make the work a little different, perhaps. But what we're trying to do is make sure that young people are aware of these opportunities. We have a shortage, we will continue to have a shortage with the demographic situation. And what we want to do is provide skill solutions to help fill out those opportunities as they become available. And as I said, and you pointed out, there's already many of these jobs that are going unfilled, and we need to make sure that we're getting that message out to young people and to their parents. Make sure parents have that information as to where these career paths can lead uh for their for their children.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

I think we've touched on all this, Ian, but just one more time. If it's a parent's listening today or a kid that's thinking about this, what's your message to them?

SPEAKER_03 15:47

Get the information uh in order to make the best decision for yourself and for your kids. Uh, there's uh huge opportunities here. Go to skillsontario.com and check the check our website, the programming we offer, the connections that we make. Start building your network. Reach out to uh if if you're if you're interested in a job, uh, a career, uh a skills area, reach out and get more information and and find a way that will help you move forward and make a decision that's best for you.

SPEAKER_02 16:13

All right, good stuff. That's where we'll leave it. Great conversation. There's Ian Halcroft uh with Skills Ontario joining us from Oakville tonight. Ian, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 16:21

Thank you very much, folks. Any time.

SPEAKER_02 16:26

You know, skilled trades, what the beauty of hindsight, I I think back to what I coulda, woulda, should have done. Just in the last three weeks at our house, we've had plumbers and electricians. And I think, man, if I had to do it all over again years and years and years ago, should have been the power.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

And you're gonna have to work a couple extra years to pay for those two guys you hire. It's true, right? That's the thing, right? And that's the they're in such high demand that if you get these skills, you're never gonna miss a day. You're never gonna be out of work. There's gonna be so much work. I think even uh you know, in some of the community in this community, we live we live in Sault Ste. Marie, the the the the the I the idea of getting a plumber is almost impossible. Oh, yeah. You're waiting forever to get one. So it's uh this is the reality. It's good work. So if you do retire soon, you could you could also I mean that you're not I mean you're old. There's no doubt. But if you wanted to, you know, red seal yourself in five more years, by the time you're seventy-one, you'll have might have things paid for, maybe. You'd probably do really well.

SPEAKER_02 17:19

Death, taxes, and skilled trades. I guarantees. There you go. Closerlook at villagemedia.ca. That is our email address. Uh please reach out anytime. We'd love to uh hear from you. And of course, you can watch all back episodes of the show at closerlookpodcast.ca for Zach Trunzo, executive producer of the program, and Michael Friscolati, our editor in chief here at Village Media. I'm Scott Stexmith. Thanks for watching. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. We'll see you next Sunday at eight, right here on Closer Look.

SPEAKER_00 17:49

Frisco and Scott's wardrobe, provided in part by Moore's Clothing for Men.