Who will save Canada's skilled-trades jobs?

Every good story needs a hero.

While Robin Hood, Superman, and the Littlest Hobo are all fine examples of heroes, unfortunately they are fictional, and we need the real kind.

When the story of 2020 is written, hopefully we can look back and recall the point that manufacturing’s hero was revealed. It’s a long shot, but that’s the kind that heroes make. Canadian manufacturing’s bad guy is, and has been for a while, the shortage of skilled workers who are able and willing to join the industry and make manufacturing their career choice.

In our June issue, Paul Krainer, president of machine tool distributor Thomas Skinner & Son, summed it up nicely by writing, “The deficit of a skilled-labour pool is directly affecting the growth of manufacturing in Canada today.”

Tough words to hear, but necessary ones. They are words that should be pointed toward the country’s school system, its government, and, yes, even manufacturing executives. For too long the industry has shifted the blame for a lack of skilled-trades workers elsewhere. It was the fault of school counselors that didn’t understand modern manufacturing and partisan politicians who equate manufacturing with labour unions.

“I’m tired of losing generations of young people to other jobs,” said Udo Jahn, general manager of Modern Engineering, Delta, B.C., during a recent chat.

If governments and traditional school systems are incapable of helping, then it’s up to the industry itself to solve this problem, Jahn added.

As I see it, four barriers exist to solving the skilled-trades riddle:

1. Attracting talent.
2. Replacing aging workers.
3. Retaining and retraining workers.
4. Finding leaders.

Attracting new, young workers who take pride in manufacturing needs to be a priority for every shop.

Integrating them with the existing, older generation also is key. It’s difficult, no doubt, but finding young workers that are willing to start at the bottom and work their way up is a must if you want to take advantage of the growth opportunities that are likely to follow this current economic downturn.

Other barriers that are part of these recruitment issues include finding staff with the right set of initials skills, finding workers in cities that have a higher cost of living, and finding people to work in remote locations.

An employer’s responsibility doesn’t stop once a worker is hired, either. Keeping turnover rates low and identifying next-generation leaders are important. Training -- and ongoing retraining -- also needs to occur.

Don’t worry about always competing with larger shops that can offer more money, either. Focus on what you can offer. You’ll be surprised how much culture, flexibility, and opportunity for growth matter.