Schools have never ignored the trades

This fall, Advanced Education Minister Miles McDougall said he hopes young people will become more receptive to careers in the skilled trades. Comments like this might lead some parents to assume that schools have not done enough to expose students to trades-focused courses. Anyone who has worked in Alberta schools, however, knows that is simply not true.

Alberta’s public schools have a long history of promoting and supporting the trades. My own education, many years ago, included woodworking, foods, plastics and sewing. When I returned to schools as a teacher, I saw that this type of programming had only expanded. Students are introduced to hands-on learning as early as junior high through shop, construction, mechanics, fabrication, foods, robotics and many other Career and Technology Foundations courses.

By high school, students can pursue more specialized opportunities through Career and Technology Studies, work-experience placements, dual-credit programs and the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). Alberta’s apprenticeship system has been so successful that thousands of students have begun their apprenticeship journey while still in high school.

According to Statistics Canada, more than 6,600 former RAP students had gone on to complete full apprenticeship programs and earn journeyperson certification by 2022 (the most recent year for which data is available). Alberta also has approximately 45,000 registered apprentices, representing a larger share of Canada’s apprentices than Alberta’s share of the national workforce.

For years, parents, industry leaders, governments, school divisions and teachers have encouraged students to see the trades as rewarding and respected career paths. The province has continued to invest in apprenticeship education, while schools have provided students with opportunities to explore those careers first-hand.

What [students] have lacked is freedom from a narrative that suggests that schools somehow value university education above all other pathways.

The reality is that students have never lacked exposure to the trades. What they have lacked is freedom from a narrative that suggests that schools somehow value university education above all other pathways.

Apprenticeship pathways are important and growing, but they continue to represent a smaller proportion of students than traditional post-secondary routes. That is not evidence that schools are failing to promote the trades. Young people make decisions based on many factors, including their interests, strengths, family influences, labour-market conditions and the opportunities available to them. They also have a wide range of pathways from which to choose after graduation.

Teachers understand something that often gets lost in public discussions about career preparation: success is not measured by whether a student attends university or enters a trade. Every year, Alberta teachers and parents celebrate students who begin apprenticeships, just as they celebrate those accepted to universities, colleges and polytechnics, or those who pursue careers in the military, entrepreneurship or the workforce.

The goal is to help students discover a pathway that fits their strengths, interests and goals. That is at the heart of career education: giving young people the knowledge and opportunities to make informed choices about their futures.

So, when we continue to hear about the need for more people in the skilled trades, it is worth remembering what is already happening in classrooms, schools and worksites across Alberta. Teachers have been helping students work toward skilled-trades careers for generations.

The challenge is not convincing schools that the trades matter. They already know. They have been proving it for decades.

I welcome your comments. You may contact me at kristine.wilkinson@ata.ab.ca.