Develop

According to Statistics Canada, the demand for skilled trades workers reached record highs in 2021. Job vacancies in the occupational category of “trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations” that required at least a trades or apprenticeship credential nearly doubled from late 2019 to late 2021. This trend is likely to persist throughout the next decade as baby boomers approach their retirement years. The Government of Alberta, Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs, states that we need to “Ensure every student has the skills, knowledge, and competencies to enjoy fulfilling lives and careers and that they have greater transparency around labour market outcomes (P.8).” In addition, the March 2023, the Career Education in Alberta Task Force Report provides a framework that, “reflects a commitment to strengthen the provision of career education with students in Alberta schools.” This framework establishes a vision, mission, guiding principles, and desired outcomes for career education within Alberta. The report sets the stage for the future development and implementation of career education programs. It encompasses twenty-one actionable recommendations, categorized into four key themes: Career Education Programming, Resources for Delivery of Career Education, Equitable Financial Resources for Career Education, and Collaboration Between Education Partners. Ultimately, this effort aims to empower students and contribute to the overall economic prosperity of Alberta.

According to the OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training, A Skills Beyond School Commentary on Canada “Canada, like the United States and the United Kingdom, has a comprehensive high school system with a relatively limited vocational education, contrasting with countries such as Austria, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands with distinct vocational tracks (P.14).” Commissioned by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum in 2018, the research report, Youth Trades Employment Strategy, outlines that most students simply haven’t had exposure to skilled trade professions and have no understanding of apprenticeship education or labour market opportunities (P.5). Accessibility, too, was mentioned, with some students identifying their high school had little to no trades programming. The Government of Alberta’s 2020 final report Skills for Jobs Task Force, pinpoints the persistence of a “significant stigma” with skilled trade professions and apprenticeship education (P.5). Drawing on feedback from focus groups, industry round tables, and an online survey of Albertans, the task force recommended building parity of esteem through a stronger understanding of the “value, merit, and worth as other post-secondary education, and skilled trade careers are as valuable as other professions (P. 6)”.

The Powering Up: Preparing Canada’s Skilled Trades for a Post Pandemic Economy  cites that early exposure is especially important in boosting recruitment efforts of underrepresented groups including women, newcomers, and Indigenous people. The report notes, “Exposure to trades should be incorporated into school curricula. For instance, “trades problem solving could be integrated into primary and secondary level science, technology, engineering, arts and math courses (STEAM)”. (Retrieved from https://thoughtleadership.rbc.com/powering-up-preparing-canadas-skilled-trades-for-a-post-pandemic-economy/). The Conference Board of Canada identified that students lack awareness of employer expectations in the workplace, especially “regarding so-called “soft” or “employability” skills and appropriate attitudes and behaviours.” The report found that students need “solid information and communications technology skills in addition to strong communications, problem solving, teamwork skills, and a positive work ethic. The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) conducted research on gaps in trades. NAPE provides resources and tools to support a long-term, adaptable approach, necessary for sustainable educational change. The report, Equity in CTE &Stem Root Causes and Strategies – A Call to Action examines root causes to identify effective methods and new tactics for bridging opportunity gaps.

Career education programming available to students in the K-12 education system is reported in the Career Education in Alberta Task Force Report as:

• Career and Technology Foundations (CTF), where students in grades 5-9 explore their interests by learning about various career possibilities and different occupations.
• Career and Technology Studies (CTS), where students take courses to develop practical skills and enhance their employability and/or post-secondary prospects.
• Dual Credit, where high school students take courses that help them discover their career interests while earning both high school and post-secondary credits.
• Knowledge & Employability (K&E) Occupational Courses, where students develop employability skills to become active and responsible citizens, achieve their educational and career goals, and positively impact their communities.
• Off-campus education that enables students to acquire knowledge and skills related to work and other life roles through their participation in out-of-class study, observation, and/or performance at community-based work sites (volunteer or paid). Off-campus education programs include career internships, Green Certificate Program (GCP), Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP), Work Experience, Work Study, and Workplace Readiness and Practicum.
• Some aspects of career education are also addressed through the new K-6 Physical Education and Wellness curriculum and current Health and Life Skills (7-9), and Career and Life Management (10-12) curriculums.

School authorities share common educational standards, curriculum frameworks, and guiding legislation, but they also exhibit significant distinctions. Various factors influence each school authority’s capacity to offer diverse trades and technologies education to their students, such as the authority’s size, geographical location, career pathway guidance, assessment and feedback, access to skilled instructors, and relevant technologies during the learning process.

Recognizing the imminent retirement of a significant number of tradespersons and the resulting shortage of skilled workers in Alberta, it is evident that school authorities alone cannot provide a variety of pathways to enable students to successfully transition to post-secondary and the workforce. This challenge necessitates a collective effort from policymakers, educators, partners, and employers to showcase the value of skilled trades and technologies to today’s youth.

2021/22, the College of Alberta School Superintendents established the Trades, Apprenticeship and Vocational Education (TAVE) Committee. TAVE worked together collaboratively, guided by the tenets of the Collective Impact process, https://collectiveimpactforum.org to define a model that illustrates how stakeholder groups could come together to close the employment gap while maximizing efficiencies and building synergies among partnering organizations. The Skilled Trades, Apprenticeships, and Vocational Education Strategic Framework is the result. https://cass.ab.ca/cass-library/trades-apprenticeship-and-vocational-education-tave-strategic-framework/

TAVE involved representatives from Alberta’s education ministries, school authorities, post-secondary institutions, skilled trades partner organizations, and employers in the development of the framework. The collective vision seeks to inspire Alberta’s youth to actively consider pursuing skilled trades and technologies as a viable career pathway. Through shared responsibility and accountability, school authorities, post-secondary institutions, partner organizations, and employers all play integral roles in enabling students to EXPLORE, ENGAGE, and EXPERIENCE skilled trades and technologies. For more information about the framework, you can visit the link: Learning Guide: TAVE Strategic Framework Final – Sep 2022

In 2022, CASS created the Alberta School Authority Skilled Trades and Technologies Survey, gathering responses from 47 school authorities to gain valuable insights, opportunities, and inspiration. The Explore, Engage, Experience: Finding a Future in Trades and Technologies Report captured the initiatives undertaken in Alberta schools. It aimed to identify successful practices that could be leveraged, adapted, or developed further to enhance student learning in skilled trades and technologies.

This paved the way for TAVE’s 2023 efforts, which are concentrated on raising awareness and enhancing the understanding of trade and technology practices in Alberta. Through research efforts, the committee gathered success stories from Alberta that demonstrate the goals of TAVE’s strategic framework. These stories exemplify promoting exploration, engagement, and hands-on experience in trades and technologies as viable and attractive career paths and are featured in Three Learning Guides. The twelve stories of Alberta Trades and Technologies practices illustrate how stakeholder groups came together to increase opportunities for students in these sectors.

Click on the images below to follow the link to each learning guide.

These promising practices within the province demonstrate diverse and promising career pathways for its students. The collaborative efforts are a significant stride toward empowering students and cultivating a workforce primed for success in the realm of skilled trades and technologies. As succinctly captured by WorldSkills, “Skills create opportunities and connect societies. They are the foundation of economic progress.”