Canada faces a severe shortage of skilled tradespeople, with over 700,000 expected to retire by 2028. To address this challenge, the Ontario provincial government launched the Skilled Trades Fair program in 2022, aiming to encourage young people to explore diverse career paths.

The initiative has seen a significant surge in interest. This year's three-day fair in London, Ontario, attracted over 7,200 students, parents, and job seekers, marking an 80% increase from last year.

Public interest in this year's event is partly due to its widespread promotion on social media. However, it also reflects a growing awareness among Canadian students and parents that many traditional career paths are less stable than before due to artificial intelligence (AI) and other factors, according to Canadian media. Candice White, head of Skilled Trades Ontario, the government agency responsible for trades training and certification in the province, observed, "The appeal of these jobs is very strong, something that wasn't the case five years ago."

At the fair, students engaged in various hands-on activities. At one booth, a group of female students used trowels to scoop mortar, spread it onto bricks, and laid them in straight lines. At another, students queued for their turn to hammer and bend copper sheets into whistles to take home. Behind them, a group collaboratively built a miniature house for temporary shelter.

Daniel Friesen, 16, carefully held a blowtorch in one hand to solder copper pipes, under the guidance of an HVAC technician. "I like working with metal. I enjoy hands-on work. After graduation, I want to pursue a career in construction," Friesen stated.

Daniel Friesen (wearing a leather jacket) learns to solder copper pipes at a trades fair in Ontario, Canada. *Photo: Globe and Mail*

Bob Robinson, director of HiMark London trades school, which teaches students how to solder pipes, emphasized the urgent need for new talent. "With the current volume of construction, many older workers are nearing retirement, and we need the younger generation to enter the trades," Robinson said. He noted the popularity of activities like soldering: "This activity is quite safe, and they get to 'play with fire.' All the kids love fire, so they lined up in large numbers."

An eighth-grade female student (in a brown shirt, wearing safety glasses) learns to plaster at a trades fair in London, Ontario, Canada. *Photo: Globe and Mail*

Behind him, Ashlyn Kendall, an 11th-grade student, wore a hard hat and a hammer on her belt as she learned home construction. The student stated that she discovered her passion for hands-on work through a high school construction course last year. "I really enjoy the feeling of working with my hands compared to doing math, literature, or similar subjects," Kendall said, sharing her aspiration to pursue a trade and become a general contractor.

Duc Trung (Source: Globe and Mail, CBC)