BANG ON!: Retirements have potential of affecting availability and price of home.
This is the year in which the oldest baby boomers (born in 1946) start to exit the workforce. Statistics Canada predicts baby boomer retirements will continue through 2031, when retirement-aged Canadians will represent about 25% of the population.
All industries will be affected, but losing skilled trades in construction has the added potential to seriously affect housing availability and affordability for Canadians.
Years ago, the London Home Builders' Association prioritized the need to promote careers in construction to ease the pending skills shortage. But this hasn't been easy. Despite advances in products, techniques and engineering, some still regard construction as less than prestigious work. This is simply not true.
There are hundreds of jobs in the residential construction industry. Many require either a college or university education. Others are certified trades. Construction jobs pay well and are challenging and rewarding.
High school graduates can follow one of four paths to a career in construction: direct to work, apprenticeship, college or university.
But students don't have to wait for graduation to get started.
The Ontario youth apprenticeship program (OYAP) takes high school co-op one step further by giving grade 11 and 12 students the opportunity to use their co-op terms to work toward becoming certified journeyperson in a skilled trade.
Since the average apprenticeship takes as long as, or longer than, acquiring a university degree, it makes good sense to get started early. Registering as a youth apprentice is also a great way to "try on" a career.
Students and parents can feel good about the apprenticeship program because careers in the skilled trades and technologies are extremely stable. In fact, people with a skilled trade often have their pick of jobs because of the skills shortage.
It's estimated that within 20 years, 40% of all new jobs will be in skilled trades. A certified skilled trade is one of the most transferable employment options in today's global economy.
Skilled trades training is a combination of leading-edge technology and proven technique. Apprentices work alongside senior employees to learn the skills and theories in their chosen field.
This often includes working with sophisticated computer equipment and new technologies. By the time an apprentice is certified, they have already practised their trade for thousands of hours. They are knowledgeable, experienced and highly coveted by employers looking to hire.
The Ontario government has recently established the Ontario College of Trades - a regulatory college that is supposed to operate at an arm's-length from the government to establish training standards, conduct research, protect the public and modernize apprenticeship programs.
It's not a training facility, rather a regulatory body that would put skilled trades on the same footing as doctors, teachers and nurses, who have their own regulatory colleges.
The college can increase the number of compulsory certified trades, meaning a person must hold a valid certificate or be an apprentice to practise their trade.
Home builders across the province fear this will reduce labour flexibility in residential construction, as workers often perform a variety of tasks touching across several trades.
The College of Trades also has established a ratio of three tradespeople to every apprentice for employers. This 3:1 ratio means smaller shops are virtually cut out of the apprenticeship environment. Unfortunately, small companies are the majority in residential construction.
We ask the government to take a progressive step and change the ratio to 2:1 or even 1:1, and allow the residential construction industry to help produce the workforce of the future that it needs.
by Shellie Chowns, as seen in the London Free Press
Shellie Chowns is president of the London Home Builders' Association.
http://www.lfpress.com/homes/2011/11/09/18947121.html