Ep. 623: Skilled Trades Labour Gap
Guest: Ajay Patel (Vancouver Community College)
“Houston we have a problem!” is a popular catchphrase, suggesting an unexpected issue. Ajay Patel, the President & CEO of Vancouver Community College, says, “We have a looming problem in [British Columbia]’s skills trade workforce. There are more than $88 billion of major projects ahead of us, requiring up to 10,000 skilled trades people over the next several years.”
“A combination of retirement, out-migration from the province, a drop in immigration, and a need to attract young people to trades have created this skills gap,” says Patel. He goes on to say, “Key to addressing the gap is to attract people to a career in the trades. The number of people with university degrees who are struggling to find employment and are now signing up for programs at VCC is an indication trades are attracting talent seeking well-paying trades jobs.”
“For me, the conversation goes beyond the trades shortages,” says Patel. “It’s really about economic competitiveness, productivity, and our ability to deliver on the ambitions we have set for ourselves as a province and a country.” According to Patel, “If we get it right, everyone benefits; if we get it wrong, we all lose.”
We invited Ajay Patel, the President & CEO of Vancouver Community College, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the skilled trades job opportunity in BC and how we can meet it.
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