The decreasing number of young tradespeople is an alarming issue that many companies are looking to solve, some are now turning to the classroom.
From 2016 to 2021, the number of tradespeople aged 15-24 declined by 31,050, according to Statistics Canada. Similarly, the number of young adults in trades aged 25-34 declined by 15,990.
This fall, Vivian Lucas will join the effort to change the trend.
Lucas, a current grade 12 student, is heading to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) this fall, majoring in cabinet making.
Her decision is not random, admittedly, as the trades run in her family.
“My dad is a heavy-duty mechanic. He currently teaches at SAIT,” she said.
Before jumping ahead, Lucas is currently enrolled in the Construction-20 course at Central Memorial High School.
Wednesday morning, in partnership with the Calgary Construction Association (CCA), the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) announced a new partnership, Adopt a Shop. The announcement was made in Central Memorial High School, one of three schools to begin the program in fall 2025.
Adopt a Shop is designed to strengthen connections between Calgary’s construction industry and the next generation of skilled trades professionals, according to a news release. The program will provide direct support to the teachers delivering these programs, recognizing their role as “critical enablers of workforce development.”
It joins similar programs like the dual credit courses, announced in late March, as pathways for students to enter the trades.
The program allows local construction businesses to literally adopt, or sponsor, a school’s woodshop, providing financial contributions, donations of material such as lumber and volunteering to mentor teachers and students.
Harmonious solution, says CBE super
As a graduating student, Lucas will not directly benefit from the new program, but said it would’ve been very helpful throughout her high school years.
“It would have been very beneficial to have more tools and to have a lot more funding in the shop. There was an issue with not having enough materials. One of my friends really struggled with not having enough materials for their projects,” she said.
“A big thing is running off of scraps.”
CBE superintendent Mike Nelson said that programs like this one help “strike harmony.”
“This is an important industry in our city. With us being a public education institution, this is how we strike harmony. We strike harmony between industry and public education for the betterment of our students and our population in our city every single day,” he said.
Currently, “about a half-dozen” companies are involved, according to Bill Black, President and CEO of the Calgary Construction Association (CCA).
“These partnerships bring real industry expertise into the classroom, helping students gain practical knowledge and develop skills that employers are seeking,” the press release said.
Despite beginning at only three Calgary schools, Black said that other schools are bound to have “fear of missing out.”
Black said that the CCA used to host a career event for students annually, but couldn’t continue after COVID-19. This time around, Black said he was looking for something different.
“What we like about this is, this is all year round. It’s not just one day, it’s continuous. It is part of the curriculum. It’s woven into the day that they spend coming to school,” he said.
“We believe it’s a much better long-term utilization of their time.”
Black said that their recruitment initiative is a long-term commitment.
“Our initiative around workforce as an association is a 20-year commitment, because we have to undo 40 years of growing stigma that our industry is not a great career, that a four-year degree is a better way,” he said.
“We have no intention of letting (Adopt a Shop) be one year, this is just year one.”
Kaiden Brayshaw,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
LiveWire Calgary
