Yet another story about the growing need for people in skilled trades, the coming shortage of skilled trades workers and the increasing number of women in trades. This one’s carried by a newspaper in Canada’s capital city.
We’re filing this under our ever-expanding list of posts on the skilled trades shortage.

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Education and business leaders from across central Florida are considering a plan to build an aviation-focused trade school at the Orlando International Airport. Valencia Community College is at the forefront of a dozen or so colleges involved in discussions. The school is exploring several locations in the area including grounds onsite at the airport. [...]

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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has issued a warning that Britain’s unskilled work force will suffer great job losses soon. Those with training in skilled trades will be better equipped to weather the coming changes.

Speaking on the BBC’s The Politics Show, Brown warned that in the next decade, British industry stands to lose 5.5. million [...]

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Union workers in Detroit picketed a midtown apartment construction site this week, protesting that the contractor hasn’t hired a proper quota of local workers to complete skilled-trades work. The protest was 250 strong at one point.
Barabas Shabazz, of Carpenters Local 687 said that city policy dictates that at least 50% of skilled-trades workers on any [...]

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The Chassell, Michigan chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart is offering a $500 Purple Heart Scholarship for Purple Heart recipients or their family members.
While $250,000 in scholarships are given out nationally (every year), this is only the second time that the Chassell chapter has participated.
Anyone who has received a Purple Heart [...]

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SkillsUSA has announced additions to their line of Active wear. The line now includes a womens’ long sleeve shirt and a new brown hoody for guys or girls. Show off your skills and your fashion sense at the same time!  Suggestions for new student or adult SkillsUSA clothing can be sent to Karen [...]

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There’s a new scholarship being offered to high school students in Mt. Pleasant, MD.
The Mount Pleasant Ruritan Club is offering two $1,500-scholarships to students who have been accepted into a trade school, college or any other qualifying post-high school program of study.
There are two awards offered – including one to a 2008 high school [...]

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Maine’s battered skilled-trades work force is about to get a big break from CIANBRO. Where last year saw hundreds of layoffs after two mill closings and other widespread layoffs in that state, CIANBRO says it will hire 500 new employees in 2008. Representatives say they will be needing “journey level trades, pipe fitting, pipe welding, [...]

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For the week ending Jan. 19, advance figures for seasonally adjusted initial employment insurance claims was 301,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week’s (revised ) figure of 302,000, according to figures just released by the Employment and Training Administration arm of the US Department of Labor. California was [...]

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The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Ford is in the process of implementing richer buyouts for early retirement packages offered to skilled laborers and production workers. The news has a bad side, too, of course, in that it indicates that the company is intent on ‘asking’ more staff to leave the company.
This has been [...]

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