A province-wide shortage of millwrights has highlighted the pressing need to broaden recruitment in the skilled trades according to the Carpenter Millwright’s College.
Training Director Shawn Skinner says demand is high for skilled trades workers right across the province.
Skinner says their programs are in high demand, with waitlists for industrial mechanic and carpentry pre-employment programs. There’s still a discrepancy between the number of jobs, and the number of workers available to fill them.
He says there’s a shortage of industrial mechanics and welders on industrial sites, in addition to the shortage of carpenters, scaffolders and millwrights.
He says the aging workforce is a contributing factor, with the average age of union members being in the mid-50s.