So, if you believe some people we are now on our way out of the recession. The skilled trades job market seems to hum along as well as it ever has. A few recent news stories paint a picture of the present and future of skilled trades jobs.

The Guardian complains about government policy in the UK

A story in the Guardian – albeit, this is the Guardian – claims to uncover an issue that has been hampering policy there for several years: the persistent miscalculation of how employment will change by the year 2020 and what impact societal and other changes should be anticipated and how they should affect present politics. The article, in part, cites Ed Balls, the schools secretary, who says in part, that the future of Britain’s job market holds an “increasing demand for higher skills, with very few jobs available for people with low or no skills”.

The article offers a portrati of some young job seekers who have acquired skills but no strong job prospects. And on the other hand, “sceptics of the government’s policy [say the] predictions are groundless. There is no evidence, they say, that the number of mainly low-paid jobs that recruit young people with few or no skills or qualifications is going to shrink.”

Canada: more training, more demand and even some appreciation

In Canada, trade schools like the one offered at Sir Sanford Fleming College are successfully running students through the program and growing steadily. And a survey of Ottawa Valley businesses found that there is a growing shortage of skilled trades workers. Meanwhile, visiting St. John’s Newfoundland, Prime Minister Stephen Harper praised local construction and promised  that the Government will continue investment in Newfoundland’s employment and training programs.  Among other things, he told the crowd: “If construction professionals adopt new technologies and stay current with their expertise, they should have long, busy and successful careers,” the Prime Minister said.

Your neighbourhood

Leave a note to tell me and others how things are in your neck of the woods. Are there lots of skilled trades jobs? Do they pay well? Is there still a recession affecting you? Drop a comment and unless it’s spam I’ll allow it, to see if we can engage some discussion on the latest about skilled trades jobs.

And where have I been?

I would be remiss if I did not note that I have not blogged in an incredibly long time. The simple fact is that this is one of numerous gigs I have and I have numerous other commitments that (frankly) pay better and more immediately. You can bet that I will still be checking in now and then and blogging when there is proper blogging to do.

This summer’s World Skills Competition in Calgary means that people all over the world are training and otherwise gearing up to compete for gold, silver and bronze.  Canada Skills is holding its national showdown May 20 – 23 in Charlottetown, PEI, approximately 100 days ahead of the ‘Olympics of skilled trades.’ For agenda, logistics and registration information visit the Canadian Skills Competition at www.skills2009.ca.

Meanwhile, in Charleston, West Virginia, they are competing just for the fun of it.  Mike Finlayson is one of a number of apprentices competing in the West Virginia State Pipe Trades annual apprenticeship contest at the Civic Center. Says Finlayson, “I went to Carver Career Center, did well there, got into this and never looked back.”

The competitions allow apprentices and experienced tradesmen to network, learn from each other and about each other. Jim Cartwright, a veteran, says that apprenticeships offer “a great opportunity for young men and women. They go in at fifty percent, thirteen dollars an hour. And, in five years, they double that to twenty six. Great health care and pension. I’ve been doing this for thirty years and I love it.”

The State of Michigan’s No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) Initiative got a $100,000 boost from The Grainger Foundation. The donation will support training and education for NWLB students pursuing careers in high-demand traditional trades like HVAC and plumbing as well as emerging trades in the green sector.

Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholme said, “Grainger’s commitment to Michigan is extraordinary. It is precisely this kind of public/private partnership and investment in NWLB scholarships for emerging-sector businesses that will help us train highly- skilled workers for jobs in the 21st century economy.”

“We are proud to support this important initiative to reinvigorate the Michigan workforce,” said Grainger’s Octavia Matthews. “Grainger is excited to help with the retraining of workers throughout Michigan so they are well prepared as they pursue jobs in the skilled trades.”

The Grainger Foundation is funded by W. W. Grainger, Inc., the leading broad line supplier of facilities maintenance products serving North America and China.

Read more about No Worker Left Behind.

Read the press release here.

This past weekend, Canadian prime minister hopeful Steven Harper (Conservative) announed that graduates of apprenticeship programs will receive a $2000 bonus if he is elected.

Said Harper, “We need carpenters, mechanics, welders, chefs, pipefitters and other skilled workers to build the roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and other infrastructure that keep our economy growing and our country strong.” He was speaking in St. John, NB, at the Carpenters’ Training Centre, a non-profit organization run by the province’s carpenters and joiners union and unionized contractors.

Okay, so it’s an election promise. But does this indicate a difference between two elections? From the US, we’ve only heard one peep about skilled trades and support for trade schools – and that was not even from a presidential candidate. (This is at least as far as we can tell, here at the trade up- feel free to fill us in if we missed something.)

The announcement was met with surprised applause by trainees in the audience. Harper also took the opportunity to opine that the skilled trades shortage was a sign of Canada’s economic strength and that the country was in a stronger position than its neighbours to the south.

Perhaps we agree, and the US is simply overwhelmed by much bigger problems to give any attention to something as ‘inconsequential’ as skilled trades.

“These guys have a job the day they graduate,” said Harper, whose government has previously brought in other incentives, including a $1,000-per-year grant and a $500 deduction for tools – all to help those in the trades.

Just less than 50 ‘Red Seal’ trades, ranging from hairdressers to welders, will qualify for the bonus.

Harper’s campaign co-chair, former premier Bernard Lord, called the promised bonus “very significant” for the New Brunswick economy. Lord added that while the province needs “doctors and nurses, we need plumbers and pipefitters and electricians, too.”

“It’s a great idea,” said one apprentice in the crowd. “Everybody can use a couple extra thousand, especially with the price of tools. We’re not doing this on our own money – most of us have student loans.”

Meanwhile, St. John Liberal MP Paul Zed pointed out that the Liberal party has already unveiled a $600-million program that will offer apprentices a tax credit they will be eligible for during trades training. “The Liberal program is cash in your pocket,” said Zed.

Learn more about hairdressing schools and welding schools Canada.

Sure, we’ve talked about Oaksterdam University before (aka marijuana trade school) but we just came across their website – and their crest is just so worth posting here.

See http://www.oaksterdamuniversity.com/images/backto.jpg

…as is the photo for Tommy Chong’s endorsement

http://www.oaksterdamuniversity.com/images/tommy.jpg

Less than a year from now, “the Olympics of skilled trades” will be underway in Calgary, Alberta, Canada at WorldSkills 2009. Over a thousand trade school students and graduates along with 5000 delegates from over 50 countries will descend on the world class city in the foothills of the Rockies. Events will range from culinary arts to carpentry to computer-aided design and everything in between.

And the hosts are definitely looking forward to it. WorldSkills 2009 will be “a terrific opportunity for Calgarians to see supremely talented individuals from around the world showcasing their skills in a competitive arena,” says the chair of Chair of WorldSkills Calgary 2009, Guy Mallabone.

The skills competition will be using Calgary Stampede Park. Over 150,000 spectators are expected to watch various events. 30,000 motel rooms have been reserved in anticipation of the influx of people from around the world. WorldSkills is about two thirds the size of the Vancouver Olympics and will be bigger than the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

While the scale is “Olympian,” the true value of competition ought to be seen as far more important. “Like the Olympics, we are playing host to the world – unlike the Olympics we are completely focused on skills that contribute to the economy and an individual’s employability in a global market,” says Richard Walker, President and CEO of WorldSkills Calgary 2009. He added that Calgary ought to be very proud to host this event, last held in Tokyo and next being held in London (2011). “This is the ‘big show’ when it comes to exhibiting global talent in technology and skilled trades.”

Want to know more?

-   The first competition was held in 1950 in Madrid, Spain. Canada last hosted the WorldSkills Competition in Montréal in 1999 at the Olympic Stadium.
-   Every two years, over 1,000 competitors from 50 member countries/regions gather to compete in over 48 skill categories ranging from welding, cooking, auto body repair and landscape gardening to beauty care and web design.
-   The competition attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors including public policy makers, government representatives, employers, teachers, trainers and experts from around the world.

To learn more go to http://www.worldskills2009.com

ATHENA and the Women In Skilled Trades (WIST) program at the Halton Centre for Skills Development, in Toronto, Ontario support a new generation of women in skilled trades.

Read more

A British survey of the data surrounding death rates from 2001-2005 concluded that men in construction trades along with plant and machine operatives had the greatest number of suicides.

The highest proportional mortality rates for men were found among health professionals (PMR=164) and agricultural workers (PMR=133).

For women, the greatest number of suicides came from the fields of administrative and secretarial workers while the greatest mortality rates were in the health and sport and fitness fields (PMR=244).

The report calls for the studies into the prevalence of depression among medical practitioners, dentists, veterinarians, agricultural workers, librarians and construction workers.

The report was authored by Howard Meltzer, PhD, Clare Griffiths, MSc, Anita Brock and Cleo Rooney, MBBS, MsC, MFPH of the Department of Health Sciences at University of Leicester, Leicester.

Er, maybe they could start by studying themselves.

Then they might check into ratios of overwork to under-appreciation (i.e. lack of proper compensation) among certain occupations..

Meanwhile in Alaska, they are singing the praises of women’s contribution to the construction industry.

“In my view, women are natural multi-taskers [so] they are natural project managers. If they like to use tools, they can get in the trades. If not, there’s architects, interior designers – the field is wide open,” says Tamie Taylor, national president of the National Association of Women in Construction.

Read more here.

http://industrialconstructionhr.blogspot.com/2008/05/construction-expo.html

Click here to learn more about construction schools .