Burlington Trades Event Draws 200 To Talk Apprenticeships

About 200 job seekers, apprentices, employers and industry people turned up at 5230 South Service Road for a free morning event on getting into the skilled trades. Skills Ontario ran it with ApprenticeSearch, a program of the Halton Industry Education Council.

Attendees heard from a panel of working tradespeople, talked with representatives from local organizations, and tried welding, heavy equipment and vehicle painting on simulators. The augmented reality welding and the virtual spray guns in the Skills Ontario simulator truck drew the biggest crowds.

Behind the morning is a shortage. Ontario needs more than 500,000 new skilled trades workers by 2030 to close the gap, and Skills Ontario CEO Ian Howcroft said the point of an event like this is putting young people in front of the people already doing the work.

Kelly Hoey, executive director of HIEC, told attendees to be curious, make connections, and ask employers what they are looking for. Howcroft made the same case about networking: most people you approach will not be interested, and the few who are can turn into a job.

Tim Last, an organizer with the Sheet Metal Workers and Roofers International Association and one of the panellists, had the most usable advice for anyone starting out. Ask questions, because it shows a journeyperson you want to know how the work fits together. Show up on time, and be there every day. The other panellists were Kylia Mulvee, Chris Auger, Diane Alves and Theo Davis.