OTTAWA | Apr.
2, 2004 — Josh MacKinnon will graduate from the
University of Toronto this June with a B.A. and a $40,000 debt.
Colin Geissberger is an apprentice electrician. He spends 10
weeks in school each year and has almost 9,000 hours of paid work experience.
He will be fully certified in 2005 and debt-free.
Geissberger's education costs about $1,000 a year; MacKinnon's, about
$5,000.
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| Trades work such as welding is often considered
dirty and dangerous. |
MacKinnon says he will spend several years after graduation struggling
to support himself and pay off debts.
Upon certification, Geissberger will have money in the bank and, within
a few years, be earning an above-average income.
MacKinnon’s degree may be overvalued and Geissberger’s certification
under-appreciated, says Keith Lancastle, executive director of the Canadian
Apprenticeship Forum (CAF).
"There is a societal bias towards university in this country,"
he says.
The CAF was established in 2000 to promote apprenticeship as an alternative
to university or college.
"The majority of parents expect their children to attend university
and the majority of young people often consider university their best
option following high school graduation," Lancastle says.
Misconceptions
Skilled trades are often viewed by young people and their parents as
dirty, dangerous, low-paying, dead-end work, Lancastle says.
"A lot of my friends went to university because they thought that
was what they should do," says Geissberger. He decided to follow
in the footsteps of his father, who is an electrician for General Motors
in Oshawa, Ont.
'There is a societal bias towards
university in
this country.' |
But a 2001 Statistics Canada survey suggests fewer kids are following
their parents into the trades then ever before.
Another study — done in 2001 by GPC International on behalf of
Skills Canada — showed that only six per cent of high school graduates
consider the skilled trades as a post-secondary option. A whopping 83
per cent expected to attend university or college.
Most of Canada's skilled tradespeople are expected to retire in the next
10 years, leaving Canada with a shortage of plumbers, electricians, mechanics,
welders and machinists.
"We often forget the value and importance of the skilled trades
because we take their work for granted," says Lancastle. "Our
lights stay on, our water is clean and our cars are on the road. We rarely
stop to think of the people who work hard to make these things run smoothly."
Promoting the trades
On March 16, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada granted the
CAF $3 million to promote apprenticeship as a practical option for high
school graduates.
 |
| Canada has 25,000 to 60,000 fewer construction workers
than it needs. |
"I strongly believe that this new funding will help promote apprenticeship
as an effective training and educational system," MP Pat O’Brien
said in a statement to the press. He announced the funding on behalf of
the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
"As a nation, we must strive to build a society where all Canadians’
talents and ability to learn are continually nurtured and developed throughout
their lives."
Most of the new funding will go to cover administrative costs, such as
staff salaries, Lancastle says. This will allow the CAF to continue its
promotion work.
'We often forget the value and importance
of the skilled trades because we take their work
for granted.' |
Last year, Human Resources and Skills Development granted the CAF $12
million in funding over four years. Lancastle says it is being used to
launch an advertising campaign, which will be directed at students aged
13 to 18.
The ad campaign will consist of a website that explains the importance
of the skilled trades and directs users to information on how to get involved.
The site is expected to be online by the end of April.
"We want to show both students and their parents that there are
other options besides university," Lancastle says. "The reality
is [skilled trades] are good and important jobs."
Geissberger agrees.
"University may have more exposure. But who do you think built the
buildings and wired the lights on those campuses?" 
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Canadian apprenticeship forum