A career you can trust

With so many options available, students and their counsellors may wonder what the right path forward is.

Today’s employers will tell you that young people are changing jobs (and even careers) at a rate not previously seen. Gen Zs are encouraged to move around, and the one sector where they can have this flexibility while still building experience and credibility is the construction industry.

A trades education will provide great income, outstanding job satisfaction and a plethora of different opportunities as a journeyman gains experience.

Let’s talk about stable work and great income.

The housing shortage in Canada has been identified as one million houses and growing. Immigration is going to continue at a rapid rate until Canada reaches a population of 50-million people. This target has been identified and accepted by all political parties, so we can be confident that, regardless of future governments, our population will grow quickly. Our housing needs will expand well beyond the current shortfall of one million.

In addition to new build construction, as Canada transitions to a low carbon economy, there are more than 15-million residential dwellings and 500,000 commercial and public buildings in Canada that will require retrofit upgrades before 2050 to meet GHG reduction targets. This means

Canada will see 27 years of high paying, rewarding and in-demand construction jobs.

Our expanding population also ensures more schools and hospitals will be built. New communities will be serviced with grocery stores, shopping centers, community centers and more giant distribution centers—and all this guarantees trades people will be in demand for more than a couple of decades.

People in the trades are paid well, and most have year-round employment. A few, such as bricklayers or concrete journeymen, are constrained by weather, but even roofing has become a yearround trade (partly because of changing products that make it easier to work in

Knowledgeable trades people will have at least 30 options for their career path once they have developed the skills taught with any trade. Micro credentialling, the hottest trend at post-secondary schools, ensures that once they have in-depth knowledge in one trade, moving on to another trade or to office, sales or technical work will be easy and fast. If moving on to a university degree becomes their goal, several universities are currently working on parity to allow one or two years of university education to be met by the journeyperson’s training, shortening the time and money required to achieve a post-secondary degree.

A student can work and complete journeyperson training virtually cost- free. Many employers will pay tuition for their people and, if not the employer, then there are numerous grants available for students. This aspect is not normally available to other post-secondary education paths. Smart apprentices can apply for grants to attend school, and many have reported they can make as much money while attending school as they can when they are working full-time. Most will complete training and be debt free. No student loans!

Many employers will pay tuition for their people and, if not the employer, then there are numerous grants available for students. This aspect is not normally available to other post-secondary education paths.

Students who pursue construction trades have a multitude of options in the first few years of their careers. Once they have an in-depth knowledge of their area, they can look to all the options available from switching trades to moving on to leadership, management or ownership roles. The future for Gen Zs is full of opportunity. n

INDUSTRY GROWTH YEAR OVER YEAR TAKE

ENDLESS CAREER PATHS PAID TRAINING AND EDUCATION more info visit: www.roofingcareers.ca