Building a career in skilled trades

Credit to Author: Baisakhi Roy| Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2023 01:23:54 +0000

Considered grunt work by some, a career in skilled trades can be financially and creatively rewarding. Given the acute  shortage of workers in the sector in Canada, now seems to be a good time for newcomers to explore opportunities.

Pratik Panchal’s first foray into the Canadian job market wasn’t quite what he’d expected. The automotive engineering graduate immigrated from India in 2015, hoping to secure a job commensurate with his education. Having to clean the company washroom during his first co-op experience with a company manufacturing consumer products was naturally shocking.

Pratik Panchal

“It wasn’t really what I expected and was frankly a bit put off by the experience,” says Panchal, who was training to be a millwright. “A millwright is trained to fix everything that is mechanical. We are trained in pipe fitting, welding, plumbing and a bit of machining,” he explains.

Panchal survived the apprenticeship period and persevered, thanks to supportive professors at his college. Panchal now works at one of the oldest and most reputed steel companies in Canada, Stelco, and has more than five years of experience as a licensed millwright under his belt. He is also the proud owner of a home in the Greater Toronto Area.

“I wasn’t sure that I wanted to continue in the trades after my first experience, but my teachers at Mohawk [College] urged me to give it another shot,” he says. “They educated me about the immense opportunities and superior pay scales in the trades and that was encouraging. When I see many of my peers struggling to find jobs, I feel I made the right choice.”

Panchal is determined to rise in the industry and is already working towards certifications for the next step in his area of work.

Feeding the demand for skilled workers

For a few years now, Canada has been facing shortages in several areas in skilled trades. According to Statistics Canada, the demand for skilled trades workers like Panchal rose significantly in 2021 and 2022. Job vacancies in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations more than doubled as did vacancies in trades-related industries such as construction. Other in-demand jobs include heavy-duty equipment technician, construction electrician, industrial mechanic (millwright), plumber, truck and transport mechanic, electrician, hairstylist and welder.

A recent RBC report finds that some of the most serious shortages will affect trades related to infrastructure, namely, industrial mechanics, welders and boilermakers, with 700,000 skilled tradespeople expected to retire by 2028.

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is also projecting a need for over 256,000 new apprentices over the next five years.

In an effort to deal with this crisis of increased demand, in August this year, Canada announced new pathways for newcomers with experience in trades, to fill specific labour needs by issuing invitations to prospective permanent residents with specific skills and training. In this scenario, newcomers with a skilled trade background have a number of opportunities awaiting them.

However, there are concerns about the lack of awareness amongst newcomers around the job openings in skilled trades.

“Newcomers might not be fully informed about the opportunities available in these sectors due to a lack of information or guidance,” says  Sharvari Jois, the director of online services and mentoring at JVS Toronto, an organization providing pre-arrival supports for landed immigrants to complete their Trade Equivalency Assessment (TEA) among other services.

She also notes that there is some hesitation to pursue careers in skilled trades. “The misconception that trades jobs are ‘underemployment jobs’ in some countries and among newcomers, increases the lack of interest to explore these jobs,” she says.

Breaking the stigma around skilled trades

For some newcomers who come from a culture that equates success solely with a university education and a white collar job, a career in skilled trades doesn’t seem like a viable option.

Sharvari Jois

“One of the most common misconceptions about working in the skilled trades is the belief that these jobs are primarily for individuals who may not have succeeded in university, possess limited education, or face restricted career prospects,” says Jois. She also points out there is a stigma that roles in the sector are “unsuitable for women due to their perceived physical demands.”

These misconceptions are far from accurate, she says. “In reality, careers in skilled trades and technology demand critical thinking skills and training. This training may involve post-secondary education and on-the-job learning through apprenticeships. Importantly, the skilled trades sector provides numerous opportunities for women, offering competitive pay, avenues for advancement, and engaging challenges.”

Jois acknowledges that immigrants are also underrepresented in the skilled trades sector due to insufficient knowledge, language barriers, difficulty in obtaining recognition of foreign credentials, and the absence of ‘Canadian work experience’.

At the end of the day, clients are motivated by their own unique circumstances says Jois.

“At times, we encounter newcomers who are currently engaged in a different field but aspire to transition their careers to a trade job in Canada. Some clients possess post-secondary education in a profession regulated in Canada and view a career in the trades as an alternative pathway to the licensure process. Recently, in our pre-arrival program, we worked with a client who, despite being a lawyer, expressed a desire to pursue a career as a carpenter in Canada. This client specifically articulated a preference for moving away from office work and expressed a keen interest in working within a more creative field. She was open to exploring opportunities within the skilled trades sector,” she says.

Panchal advises newcomers, especially international students who may be picking jobs that don’t interest them just so they can get their permanent residency, to pause and reconsider and look at their long-term career goals.

“You have to change your thinking, your perspective. When you first come to Canada, you need to complete your education and then look for a job rather than the other way round. It might take time, but it will happen; the trades are a great way to establish yourself in this country,” he says.

The post Building a career in skilled trades first appeared on Canadian Immigrant.
http://canadianimmigrant.ca/feed