Collaborative program responding to skilled trades shortage

By Lethbridge Herald on November 3, 2022.

Herald file photo A collaborative program is aimed at introducing students to possible careers in the skilled trades, as the sector faces a labour shortage crisis.

Al Beeber – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – abeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

A collaborative program is aimed at introducing students to possible careers in the skilled trades.

Andrew Krul, off-campus education co-ordinator for the Lethbridge School Division, said Thursday several hundred students have signed up for a two-evening program that will give them a chance to gauge their interest in careers in different trades.

The sessions will run Nov. 15-16 in Lethbridge and several other communities. Krul said students will get a chance to explore one trade on the first evening and a second on the other. Evenings were chosen so parents could attend with their Grade 10-12 students.

Krul had so much interest from employers in southern Alberta a spring session is being planned that will also be open to Grade 8 and 9 students.

The idea “is to get the wheels turning for different career opportunities,” said Krul.

The genesis for the idea came up when Krul was driving through Lethbridge’s industrial section during the summer.

“The work that I see that goes in those buildings is absolutely incredible in terms of the skilled trades,” said Krul.

“We have an absolutely vibrant skilled trades industrial park” and other infrastructure in southern Alberta, he said.

“So I thought how do we get Grades 10 to 12 students aware of some of these incredible opportunities in the skilled trades? Because I’ve been getting phone call after phone call in the last several months from employers saying ‘Hey Andrew, do you have any registered apprentices available because we’re really running short of skilled trades labour?”

He said the shortage is a crisis right across Canada. Off-campus co-ordinators can talk to students all they want about opportunities but “seeing is truly believing. So I thought what if we do it at night to allow parents to attend and participate, not that they’re going to force their children into a program but certainly (act) as a sounding board.”

“I strongly believe in collaboration so I reached out to Holy Spirit Division, Horizon, Coaldale Christian School and also Palliser School Division so we’re very much doing a collaborative effort so we’ve got employers in Picture Butte, Taber, Coaldale – the bulk of them are, of course, in Lethbridge. Off-hand I would say we’ve got close to about 40 employers.”

A wide range of skilled trades will be available for students to learn about, Krul added.

“The way I explain it to students it’s like watching a half of a movie trailer just to see if it’s going to pique your interest.”

If it does, then students can go on to job shadow and work experience and possibly an apprenticeship down the line, Krul added.

Mark Boschee, off-campus co-ordinator for Holy Spirit, said “it’s a great opportunity and it seems to be a focus from the provincial government on trades and so my job is to place a lot of these kids” in the trades. And Boschee says he’s busier than ever.

“It’s a great opportunity for kids who normally wouldn’t have an opportunity to try out a trade and maybe are interested in the trades but not sure which trade they would like” to try, Boschee said.

A lot of students are starting to see the trades as a career “so with Andrew we work to try to figure out how to get them more exposed to trades. The businesses are all for it, they’re right on board…they’re also needing to train people.”