Introducing high school students to trades a smart step for their futures

By Lethbridge Herald on April 26, 2025.

Joe Manio
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

High school should prepare students for life in the real world after graduation, whether the graduate chooses to go on to university or not. When I think back on my own high school crucible, I remember classmates who breezed through it. Others like me faced unexpected hurdles and stumbled quite often. For some, just making it to graduation was an uphill battle.

One complaint I heard back then, and still hear from students now is: “Why do I have to learn all this crap? How will this benefit my future?” They were usually referring to the more cerebral subjects like art, literature and music. What these students had in common then and now is they were usually good with their hands, effective at using tools and enjoyed hands-on physical work.

One of my first assignments at Herald was covering an event called Exploring Possible Industries and Careers (EPIC) Day 2025. It’s an annual conference that presents possible career paths to high school students from all over Southern Alberta. EPIC Day showcased a wide variety of career choices, including jobs that don’t require having a stellar GPA in high school, nor  a university degree; careers in the trades. I was impressed. The trades were never even mentioned as a career option when I was in high school.

The trades should be presented to all high school students as a career option. However, there’s often an elitist attitude, especially among some parents, that postsecondary education is the superior choice to menial jobs in the trades. We’re talking about carpenters, electricians, welders and plumbers. These so-called menial jobs offer good starting salaries, paid-for training towards advancement; and don’t require incurring the often crushing student debt through student loans that often comes with higher education.

Many schools, especially in the U.S. where I’m originally from, place too much emphasis on going to college. At least that’s how it was when I was in high school. Mind you, the name of my school is Saint Ignatius College Preparatory. That, however, is beside the point. 

I don’t regret getting my Journalism degree. I don’t really agree with the notion of “useless degrees.” I learned a lot at San Francisco State University, and even more working in newspapers. I’ve had interesting experiences and met lots of interesting people. College, however, is not for everyone.

Before moving to Canada, I entertained the idea of learning welding; mainly for possible artistic projects, but never followed through. After moving here in 2010, I wish I had learned welding. I could have been working in a matter of weeks, instead of spending months looking for work. I also would have made more money as an apprentice welder in Canada, than at my last newspaper job in the U.S.

Pushing postsecondary education as the best, or only path, to a worthwhile career is an outdated paradigm, and does a great disservice to high school students. With events like Epic Day, however, the times, they are a changing.