Canada needs skilled workers
They can earn more than graduates with a master's degree, but Canadians are reluctant to become workers.
A key component of Canada's workforce is skilled workers, who occupy professions that typically require college training. They also played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic as they held positions in high-demand sectors of the economy. About 700,000 workers are expected to retire by 2028, and the demand for professionals remains high, with about 75,000 vacancies per year.
Statistics show that one in six Canadians work in a working profession. In 2018, half of the professionals who earned the Red Seal certificate five years earlier earned more than $68,750 CAD in a year. Now the Canadian government advertises among residents a career in the working professions as one of the most promising.
"Red Seal" is a licence that entitles you to employment in a number of occupations in any Canadian province.
The income of some workers is higher than that of skilled professionals who have completed a master's program at a university in the past five years. Despite this, only one in ten Canadian high school students plans to pursue a career in the workforce. In 2020, 55,455 people became workers — 22,000 fewer than in 2019 and 20,000 less than expected demand. But there is still some progress in the field. For example, from 2004 to 2020, the number of women in Canada who received the Red Seal more than doubled.
To attract people into the working professions, the Canadian government is launching support programs. In 2019, an apprenticeship strategy emerged that promotes working professions as a good career option, supports work-based learning initiatives, promotes employers and unions that train, and encourages the development of tools and approaches to training workers. In Budget 2018, Canada announced a $10 million CAD annual allocation for scholarships for those studying for trades in Canadian colleges, including international students.
In 2021, the country allocated another $470 million CAD over the next three years, which will go toward job training programs. In particular, the investment will be used to help trainees find jobs. Students will be able to take internships in companies and gain work experience.
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