The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The need for skilled trades workers is high Canada-wide, and northern Manitoba is no exception. While many jobs have become defunct as machines are brought in as more efficient replacements, skilled trades workers will always have a place in the workforce, as they're often the ones building and maintaining those machines. In Thompson, nickel giant Vale has staked their backing of the trades by recently contributing $30,000 to the Frontier School Division to purchase the Briggs and Stratton Small Engine. The purchase will support Frontier Collegiate's power mechanics program. Trades training remains a strength in the North, says Doug Lauvstad, executive director with the Northern Manitoba Sector Council, who also sits as an employer representative on the Manitoba Apprenticeship and Certification Board. 'Fortunate' 'We're fortunate to have the University College of the North (UCN), which has a mandate to deliver trades training in the North,' said Lauvstad. There is currently a Canada-wide shortage in skilled trades workers, says Lauvstad, and with western Canada's economy seeing significant growth in fields like mining, oil, gas and potash, the demand for workers can only increase. 'Another big thing is retirement,' said Lauvstad. 'The number of baby boomers retiring is increasing and as a result, more and more positions are opening up in the industrial sector and construction and everything else.' UCN remains the staple for post-secondary trades training, though there are other avenues that can be pursued, dependent upon the trade. The typical procedure for skilled trades workers is to first get employed and build up some on the job experience, then go back to school for eight to 10 weeks, then return to work for more experience hours. This routine is carried out over four or five years until full certification is granted. 'Contractors are in high demand right now as well,' said Lauvstad, 'I see PCL, who is doing construction on the UCN campus (in Thompson) advertising desperately that they need help, but the biggest ones are definitely the large industrial companies like Vale and (Manitoba) Hydro.' With strong unions, and salaries ranging up to the six-figure range, careers in trades are a very attractive option to those willing to invest the time in training and education. _ Matt Durnan, Thompson Citizen
