There are more than 9.5 million homeowners in Canada. Of that population, roughly half plan to undergo some sort of home renovation in 2019, a CIBC poll shows.But whether it be basic maintenance or major upgrades to bathrooms, kitchens, or gardens, research shows that Canadians are also looking to spend less on these projects.One surefire way to avoid costly labour charges is to go the DIY route, tackling household projects and renos yourself.“It’s savings in the thousands,” says Mike Di Donato, director of Skilled Trades College of Canada.

“When you finish a basement for example, the labour alone runs you in the tens of thousands. If you’re painting the house, depending on the size of your house, it could cost you [up to] $6,000 just in labour. If you’re doing that yourself it is $6,000 in your pocket.”

In conjunction with the Skilled Trades College of Canada and the newly launched Intro to Home Renovation Program, we explore home renovations you can actually (and probably should) do on your own.

Read full story here: https://globalnews.ca/content/5929582/home-renovations-you-can-actually-do-on-your-own/

Why Women are Choosing Careers in Skilled Trades

When Stephanie Brown graduated from the 12-week electrical pre-apprenticeship program at Ontario’s Skilled Trades College in the fall of 2017, she submitted her resume everywhere she could think of.

It wasn’t an easy process. One shop asked if she was applying on behalf of her son or husband then didn’t call back once she clarified it was for herself. Brown applied to about 50 jobs before she finally got a call back for a trial gig.

While Brown’s story speaks to preconceived notions surrounding women in the trades, it also highlights the current demand for jobs in these fields of work…………”

Read full story here: https://globalnews.ca/content/4996661/women-careers-skilled-trades/

Skilled Trades Wanted

Read full story here: https://www.thestar.com/sponsored_sections/2019/03/04/skilled-trades-wanted.html

The National Home Show features STC

NEW this year, The National Home Show has partnered with the Skilled Trades College of Canada to address the shortage of skilled workers in the industry, by encouraging attendees (youth and adults) to consider the trades as a career path. This will be done via an onsite activation, where the public will be able to get hands-on in a variety of trades, including bricklaying, electrical, plumbing and general construction.

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Read full story here: https://nationalhomeshow.com/show-features/skilled-trades/

Sherry Holmes: Framing the Trades in a New Way

Pre-apprenticeship programs, offered at colleges such as Skilled Trades College (in Vaughan and Mississauga, Ont.), provide hands-on training in a simulated construction environment. Tony Martella, campus dean of Skilled Trades College, Vaughan Campus, states that the college had considered running women-only trades classes. “But women told us that they did not want to be in a class of all women,” Martella says. “They want to learn in a real-time environment.” Over the last three years, Martella estimates that out of 800 students who attended the college, approximately 12–15 were women.

Stephanie Brown, who went through the 12-week electrician pre-apprenticeship course at Skills Trade College, is now in her second year of a five-year electrical apprenticeship. At the college, Brown was one of three girls in a class of 14. “The first day of class might have been a shock for the guys, to see not just one girl, but three of us,” she says. “I was definitely intimidated that first day, shaking in my boots. But the teacher was fantastic………..”

Read full story here: https://mycitylife.ca/people/special-feature/sherry-holmes-women-in-trades/

GTA’s Skilled Worker Shortage

It’s never been a better time to get into the skilled trades!

College helps new Canadians enter skilled trades

Salah Dib fled Syria about a year ago for a better life in Canada, one that would enable him to have a stable career he could excel at.

At a time when skilled masons are greatly needed in the GTA, Dib enrolled in an intensive pilot project at the Skilled Trades College of Canada. And it comes with incentives: Dib, along with nine other students, do not have to pay tuition and will be connected with steady employment in residential bricklaying when the program ends.

“In Canada, all dreams come true,” Dib said. “It’s a better life,” adding safety precautions were disregarded in Syria. “Nobody there cares if you fall and die,”……….

Read full story here: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/02/28/college-helps-new-canadians-enter-skilled-trades.html

The national job numbers don’t show it, but Toronto’s a hot market for new grads

The latest job numbers for Canada don’t show a huge amount of employment growth, but hidden inside those national figures is a hot market for new graduates in Toronto, experts say.

After a loss of 88,000 jobs in January, February’s Labour Force Survey, released Friday, showed a slight rebound of 15,000 new jobs, and a small decrease in the unemployment rate from 5.9 to 5.8 percent.

But according to experts at the headhunting firm Robert Half, Toronto’s job market is very strong.

Here’s a look at a couple of areas where employers are crying out for new workers.

Bricklaying

Believe it or not, if you’re a new graduate with bricklaying skills, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding work in Toronto.

According to the February job figures, employment in…….

Read the full story here: http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/the-national-job-numbers-don-t-show-it-but-toronto-s-a-hot-market-for-new-grads-1.4569334