Canada’s skilled-trades shortage is often described as a lack of interest among young people. That may be true to a degree, but after spending the past few years travelling across the country and speaking with employers, students, apprentices and colleges, I do not believe it is the whole story.
The reality is, many college training programs are full, and some students face long waiting lists, some for years. At the same time, apprentices in the system struggle to find employers willing to hire them, while contractors say they cannot find good apprentices.
First, is the “search friction” problem: employers may receive many unvetted applications without knowing a candidate’s attitude, aptitude, technical ability or workplace readiness.
Second, is the ‘free rider’ problem: contractors can invest significant time and money training apprentices, only to lose them to another employer once they become more productive.
Third, is the “hold-up” problem: the risk of poaching or drop-outs can make small and medium-sized contractors reluctant to hire first- or second-year apprentices.
The result is a bottleneck. Capable people struggle to enter the trade, and contractors struggle to build their future workforce.
First, advocacy: HRAI is actively raising these concerns with governments. Recently, some HRAI staff and members of HRAI’s Policies and Priorities Committee, met with federal ministers and their staff in Ottawa. We discussed the barriers facing apprentices and employers and were encouraged by how seriously those concerns were received.
Next, R&D: We are also exploring whether HRAI could help create a more reliable pathway between apprentices and contractors.
The unionized commercial sector offers one possible model. For example, Ontario Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (ORAC) centralized first-year apprenticeship intake program assess prospective apprentices and create a ready-to-hire pool for participating employers.
I am grateful to Andrew Tarr and Mike Gordon from the United Association, and Paul Wrigley from ORAC, who have been generous and gracious with their time to help us understand how their system works.
HRAI will continue advocating to governments to ensure new apprenticeship investments address the actual bottlenecks employers and apprentices experience in the field.
At the same time, we will assess whether a centralized intake model could work for residential and non-union contractors. That means testing employer interest, identifying what screening or preparation would be most valuable, and determining whether there is a practical and financially sustainable role for HRAI. My Perspective
The apprentice shortage is not simply a recruitment problem. It is a coordination problem.
Students want to enter the trade. Contractors need workers. What is missing is a reliable system that helps them find one another while reducing the risks for both sides.
Government funding can help, but stronger connections between training institutions, apprentices and employers are also needed.
A centralized intake system may not solve everything, but I believe it is worth exploring.
Would your company benefit from access to a pre-screened, ready-to-hire pool of apprentices?
What information would you want before interviewing a candidate? Would you be willing to pay a reasonable fee to access such a service?
