by Rob Wright

In the present economic climate it may be hard to believe that there is a shortage of workers in parts of our economy.  Currently there is one in the construction trades and it will get worse, before it gets better.

So why do we have this shortage?

Is it because 20 or 30 years ago we thought this work would be taken over by machines? Is it because parents didn’t want their children to work hard physically or to get dirty? Is it because most people think it is not well paid?  Is it because smart people aren’t needed?

I have heard all of these false reasons many times.  Also the governments of the past, did cut back on the training for the trades and apprenticeships.

While more and better machines are now available to do some parts of the work, a person is still needed to run them.  Some of the trades’ wages are very impressive and when you consider that the apprentices start at +/- 50% of the journeyman wage; you could be earning $15/hr to start; to sweep up, fetch materials, and learn right out of high school.  Getting paid to learn is a lot easier than college or university on mom and dad!

After you have been working in the trade for a few years; you could be running several crews, or you could be running a multi million dollar job site, or you could be running your own business.  The possibilities are there.

While there are a small number of jobs that don’t require much thought, but if you can’t do basic math and/or plan ahead, you are not going to go far.  You have to be able calculate materials amounts, understand how things are assembled and see the big picture.

So how bad is the problem?  Most of the trades have average worker ages of mid 40’s, and some trades wish they were that young. The bricklayers’ average is mid 50’s.

This means that a lot of talented people are going to retire shortly and the skills they have honed over the years, will not be passed on to the younger generation.

This means that it will get a lot more expensive in the future for your homes, office buildings, power plants, shopping centers, and factories to be built and repaired.

While the governments have started to fund the trades and the schools, more young people need to enter these programs to satisfy the demand for new tradesmen.  More and more women are looking to work or train in non-traditional industries, an opportunity to choose a career which fulfils their true potential at the same time as meeting employers needs by addressing the huge skill shortages across these industries.

The trades give you a job that is physically and mentally demanding; that you can see what you accomplished that day, week, or year; that can be very well paid; you will work with and meet interesting people everyday; and provide all the satisfaction you could ever want!

About the Author

Rob Wright has grown up around construction and in the mid 1990’s, Rob joined and took over Citadel Renovations in Ottawa. Rob has presented seminars at the local home shows on various renovations subjects and is a contributor to the Home Renovation Guide. Rob has been active in the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association for many years and previously served as the Renovation Council Chair. For more information, visit CitadelRenovations.com.