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Skilled Trade Workers, Degrees, The Economy And Career Choices

Skilled Trade Workers, Degrees, The Economy And Career Choices

By Yvonne Sam
Social and Political Commentator

yvonne-samI know for a fact, that as I begin to indict, I may arouse the anger, or the awe, of some, who sincerely think and feel that I should know better.

There are many people, on the left side of the spectrum, who will tend to dismiss my opinion, deeming it biased and unfair. From their perspective, it appears that I am endeavoring to belittle their institutions, wherein bright young students can receive diplomas in agenda–driven activism and victimhood.

No one seems to think that skilled, blue-collar careers are worth looking into. Blue collar jobs are for losers.

Of course, a degree still gives you a leg up in earning power, but there are lots of fields where a bachelor’s degree is not a necessary requisite. University has been overvalued and overrated at the expense of young people, who are entering, or contemplating entering, skilled trades.

Students are funneled into university because it’s the default. Some struggle and eventually drop out, whereas what was needed, in the first place, was an awareness of the other types of options.

Commentary LogoNow that graduation time is approaching, a lot of seniors would be trying to answer the question, “Am I going to university?” when, perhaps, the real question should be, “Do I need to go to university?”

In spite of the perception that university is the sole path for everybody, when you look at the types of wages that apprenticeships and other career areas pay and the fact that you do not have to factor in three to four years of tuition, and you are being paid, while learning, these other paths surely demand some additional consideration.

Students are told, daily, that a degree is necessary for success, for larger paychecks throughout life, and, above all, financial security during retirement. High school graduates are vigorously encouraged to get a bachelor’s degree, in so much that high paid jobs that call for shorter and less expensive training go unfilled.

I wholeheartedly agree with parents, who want success for their children, and the degree is still one of the surest ways to gain a competitive edge in the job market and earn middle-class wages; but, then again, it must be borne in mind that university is not for everyone.

We get stuck on degrees, and fail to see the shortage there is in tradespeople, until we hire a plumber or an electrician and have to write a cheque.

Some 30 million jobs in the United States that pay an average of $55,000 per year, do not require bachelor’s degrees www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/04/25/605092520/high-paying-trade-jobs-sit.

Skilled labourAnother saddening aspect why some graduates, after spending many years and thousands of dollars, cannot find jobs that commensurate with their education, lies in the fact that they failed, in the first place, to ascertain if there was a market for that degree.

In the classic 1960’s movie, “The Graduate”, a family friend, Mr. Mc Guire, offers Benjamin Braddock, the recent graduate — played by actor Dustin Hoffman — one piece of advice: “plastics”. My advice for today’s graduate is – learn a trade.

Regrettably, there has always been an historic ignominy surrounding vocational education

(voc-ed), the result of snobbery towards certain occupations. Now, there are millions of rewarding, high paying trade jobs sitting empty. Yes, there is a deficiency in skilled labour.

Here in Canada, there is a push for the infrastructure of the future to be “smart” — that is, built with integrated information and communication technologies and internet of things capabilities (IoT).

Such a move to make cities smarter, would mean streets could be embedded with sensors that speak to smartphones, thereby optimizing commute times and traffic flow. Making cities smarter requires much skilled talent: heavy equipment operators, electricians, and concrete finishers.

Furthermore, by 2025, wind could bring to fruition 20 percent of Canada’s energy needs. This expected growth of wind energy will bring about an increased demand for wind turbine technicians, electricians, and crane operators.

Even our traditional energy economy will support job creation in the near future. Oil prices are mending, and with recent approvals for new pipeline projects, the demand for skilled trades is undoubtedly going to rise. www.huffingtonpost.ca/nobina-robinson/canada-skilled-trades_b_14136620.html

Skilled labour 2The world’s cheapest form of energy is officially solar, and start-ups are quickly emerging to capitalize. One of the most recent ideas of an US-based firm is an entirely solar roof. The expansion of similar projects to Canada will see the creation of skilled labour demand across the whole value chain — from the production solar cells, to wiring, to installation. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-renewables-wind-solar-jobs-energy-1.4385124

In the face of the barrage of articles about automation and digitalization of work, it is worthwhile bringing to mind, the fact that we have not departed from the physical world, at least not for the moment.

More importantly, it will, most certainly, be the trades professions that can capacitate the future of work—both in Canada and around the world. As you can see, there is not always the need for a degree.

Yvonne Sam, a retired Head Nurse and Secondary School Teacher, is Vice-president of the Guyana Cultural Association of Montreal. A regular columnist for over two decades with the Montreal Community Contact, her insightful and incursive articles on topics ranging from politics, human rights and immigration, to education and parenting have also appeared in the Huffington Post, Montreal Gazette, XPressbogg and Guyanese OnLine. She is also the recipient of the Governor General of Canada Caring Canadian Citizen Award.

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