Post-secondary institutions across Canada work with industry to meet demands for qualified workers.

Photograph by: Jean Levac, The Ottawa Citizen, Postmedia News

Canada is experiencing at least a decade of labour shortages across the construction trades, with insulators and steamfitter-pipefitters among those in highest demand, according to reports from the Construction Sector Council.

Up to 320,000 additional workers will be needed to replace an aging trades workforce and to keep up with billions of dollars in major new projects from now until 2019.

It's a startling statistic, prompting industry to work closely with post-secondary training institutions to get more people in the trades.

At SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary, the launch in January of a new insulator trade program is a direct response to anticipated shortfalls in that area - one of the two hottest trades in demand, says Larry Rosia, dean of SAIT's School of Construction.

"As with all the trades right now, there seems to be a shortage of them and this one is rising to the top," he says.

"There's going to be a need for them in the next few years, so - we're trying to ramp up and really work with industry to make sure their employees have the opportunity to be trained in this area."

Charles Shuttleworth spent 25 years working in carpentry in B.C. and Alberta before deciding to go back to school to become a steamfitter-pipefitter. He sees tremendous potential in expanding his skill set; the second-year apprentice will be much more employable when he finishes his training.

"Because of the high demand, I know that when I finish here I've got job offers from all over the province," Shuttleworth says. "It will open a lot of doors for me. The demand on the mechanical side in industrial applications is very strong."

It's a three-year apprenticeship program at SAIT, including on-site working hours of about 1,500-1,800 per year plus three segments in school for each of those years. Each segment is about a twomonth block; the remainder of the term is spent working alongside a journeyman before writing the exam to earn a ticket and become a full journeyman.

The experience of working in the field is as important as the theoretical training, since learning a trade is such a handson practice. "If you're coming out of high school, you're looking at three years minimum," says Shuttleworth.

"Typically, they want the younger guys to work in industry for a while and get familiar with the safety aspects of the job site before they actually jump into the trade."

He advises younger students to get familiar with the different types of trades and try one out.

"It's not for everybody," he says. "There are elements of danger and you're outside in the elements and it can be dirty and physically demanding, so there are some people it may not suit very well. One shift in an industrial setting and you'll know if it's for you or not."

Shuttleworth is eager to start working as a journeyman. He's already fielded several offers and is looking to industrial hotbeds of activity such as Fort Mc-Murray in northern Alberta and other areas where major projects are slated to get underway.

Alberta alone accounts for 157,000 of the projected worker shortfall up to 2019, largely because of $193-billion on the books in major projects right now, according to Alberta Finance and Enterprise reports, says Rosia.

It's not always easy to keep up with the fluctuations in demand for various trades, particularly in energy-rich provinces where the cyclical nature of the industry can quickly change some of the top trades in demand, he adds.

"One of the challenges that we face - is providing our students and equipping our learners to compete in today's changing marketplace," Rosia says.

"Another role for us is to provide industry with the workforce they need to be successful, but it takes us four years to put out a journeyman, so for us to get ahead of these shortfalls is always a challenge and something we strive to work with industry to accomplish."

Rosia says post-secondary institutions across Canada are working closely with industry organizations such as the Alberta Resource Chamber, the Construction Owners Association, the Canadian Construction Association and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers to keep ahead of demand.

There are pockets across Canada where activity is particularly intense. Looking at the number of large-scale industrial projects in each province provides a strong indication of where the trades will be most in demand.

"Those are the kind of numbers that really drive the skill shortages here," Rosia says. "The challenge is that all the sectors are looking for people."