Refinish and Repair Represented: ‘Huge’ collision presence at 2024 Skills Canada National Competition
Quebec City, Quebec — The 2024 Skills Canada National Competition, the country’s largest skilled trades and technology event, officially begins today in Quebec City. For the next two days, this annual competition will showcase the talents of hundreds of young Canadians as they compete in over 40 skilled trade and technology categories. “We have a […]
Room to Grow: Wages for new body techs in 2020 remained stable despite national declines, StatsCan says
Toronto, Ontario — The positions once occupied by Canada’s retiring skilled trades workforce are proving difficult to fill, and according to some newly released data from the federal government, no two regions compensate their tradespeople quite the same. Median wages for newly certified journeypersons are down 5.2 percent nationwide from 2019 to 2020, with motor […]
Forging Forward: CWB Welding Foundation launches Women of Steel program
Milton, Ontario — The Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) Welding Foundation has launched a new program, aiming to promote education, confidence, personal growth and experiential learning for women interested welding-related skilled trades. According to a CWB press release, this is a 64 week pre-employment program that started in June 2022 and will run until Aug. 2023 […]
Outside the Lines: Plans underway for third ‘Tradeswomen of New Brunswick’ colouring book
Saint John, New Brunswick — A New Brunswick-based non-profit has developed an exciting new way to introduce young girls to the skilled trades industry through a colouring book series that features tradeswomen on the job. The first two editions of the “Tradeswomen of New Brunswick” are the results of efforts from New Boots: Progressing Women […]
Skills for Jills: Conestoga’s ‘Jill of All Trades’ program to go nationwide with support of RBC investment
Kitchener, Ontario — Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ont. is slated to get a slice of some newly announced skills trades funding as the RBC Foundation announced Wednesday that $650,000 of a total $3.5 million investment is on the way to support the national rollout of the college’s “Jill of All Trades” program. The one-day workshop […]
Bonded by Trades: ‘Mind Over Metal’ welding camp searches for new generation of Mi’kmaw tradespeople
Elsipogtog First Nation, New Brunswick — Eight lucky kids from Elsipogtog First Nation were given a week-long crash course in welding basics, as the Mind Over Metal welding camp welcomed its first group of prospective Mi’kmaw tradespeople last week, the CBC reported Monday. Elsipogtog First Nation is located about 90 kilometres north of Moncton and […]
Fore the Industry: Automotive Trades Association MB to host 48th annual golf tournament
Winnipeg, Manitoba — The Automotive Trades Association of Manitoba is hosting a Gold Tournament on August 26, 2022. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Bel Acres Golf & Country Club. The address for the event is 7150 E RD 70N, in Rosser, Manitoba. The ATA MB advocates for the […]
Knocking At the Door: Canadian collision industry weighs in on drivers of labour shortage
Toronto, Ontario — Canada is facing a skilled worker shortage. Even in the sparkle and shine that is the collision repair industry, little help can be found. This Spring, Collision Repair magazine shared asking readers to respond to questions related to apprentice onboarding within the industry. Collision centre owners and managers were urged to complete […]
Uniting Unifor: Several candidates step up in race for national Unifor presidency
Toronto, Ontario — Following the unceremonious departure of Unifor president Jerry Dias from his role in March, several candidates have emerged as frontrunners in the race to fill the highly-influential role. Unifor Local 444 president David Cassidy, Unifor’s national secretary-treasurer Lana Payne and Dias’ executive assistant Scott Doherty are currently slated as candidates for the […]
Land of Living Skills: Saskatchewan introduces act to reduce barriers for worker re-location
Regina, Saskatchewan — With a national skilled trades gap showing no signs of narrowing, the government of Saskatchewan has announced that they will be holding the door open for new residents who want to bring their skills to the prairies through the Labour Mobility and Fair Registration Practices Act. The government hopes that through this […]
