Skilled trades preparing for anticipated building bonanza

The need for skilled trades workers has not eased in the London region, despite a slowdown in construction elsewhere in the province.

An example of the demand is evident at a two-day event in London.

Level-Up! Skilled Trades Career Fair, being held at the AgriPlex, is designed to attract high school students from across southwestern Ontario.

“Absolutely I want to get into the trades, and they need almost anyone for everything,” shared an excited Jesse Vanderverken.

The Grade 12 student from Strathroy is considering a career in carpentry or framing.

While some parts of Ontario have experienced a slowdown in construction, in London, there is no shortage of work for most tradespeople.

“I was just speaking to someone that said they've been going gangbusters, and everybody here is working. Places like Toronto have slowed down, Ottawa slowed down a little bit,” said Tim Maxson of the Ontario Masonry Training Centre.

“But that doesn’t mean we don’t need people,” he cautioned.

And so, brick by brick, community colleges and trade schools are looking to build up the industry.

Tim Maxson seen at the Level-Up! Skilled Trades Career Fair in London, Ont. on Nov. 12, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

Travis Dunnigan is an organizer with Local 473 Sheet Metal and Roofers Union. He said major projects, including the new Volkswagen plant and the expansion of Bruce Power are fueling growth.

“We're prepping for next spring when the boom is going to push. So next spring, we've been looking to bring 200 to 300 new members in London.”

Some trades accept students right out of high school and place them in jobs paying as much as $75 per hour or more within five years.

But apprenticeships require thousands of hours of work, commitment and on-the-job training.

Travis Dunnigan is an organizer with Local 473 Sheet Metal and Roofers International Association in London, Ont. He is seen on Nov. 12, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

It is a task Grade 11 student Grace Floats is up for.

She is already working in the trades through a high school co-op program.

“I definitely love the work. It’s more hands on. You don’t have to sit a desk and think, ‘oh, my back hurts because I’ve been sitting at a desk all day,’” she said.

Floats is already sharing her experience with younger students.

“The fact that I’m out there, I talked to grade nines about my co-op, and it made a lot more girls interested. That is what I want to do is make more girls interested.”

And generating interest is what this fair is desperately trying to do.

"You always need to keep training people because if we stopped training just because the economy slowed down a little bit, then all of a sudden it's going to pick up and they're going to need people again,” concluded Maxson.