Earlier this month, I was in London, England, for WorldSkills 2011. It was my first time in London, but definitely not my first time at WorldSkills. I was actually the national spokesman for the 2009 event in Calgary. I've been a longtime supporter of the event, which, this year, swelled to about 950 competitors from around the world -- most under the age of 22.
WorldSkills is the Olympics of skilled trades. And being in the O2 Centre in London, with 20,000 cheering kids and supporters, it really felt like being in the Olympics. You know the saying, 'Go big or go home?' Well, WorldSkills 2011 was big. So big, it was actually the largest skills competition on the planet -- and it felt like it. This year, the event had about 200,000 visitors. Now that's big.
I had a great time. I got to see London and loved it. And I had the opportunity to see some of the most ambitious, dedicated, and talented group of young adults who, I'm very happy to say, will be entering the skilled-trades industry very soon. That's a good thing.
So, why did I take time out of my busy schedule to travel across the Atlantic and support WorldSkills? For the beer? The soccer? I mean, football? The great English hospitality? All partly true. But my concern is a little closer to home.
It's really simple. In Canada, about 50 per cent of all skilled tradespeople will be retiring in the next 10 to 15 years. That means 50 per cent of all Canadians currently working in the skilled trades -- construction, manufacturing, engineering, mechanics, health care, the whole nine yards -- will be leaving their fields. Where does that leave us? Not in a very good position -- about 1 million skilled trade workers short by 2020, if you want to get technical. We have almost 3.8 million Canadians working in skilled trades-based industries today. If we get rid of a million of them, that's more than a quarter. This is a huge problem. And you know who's going to be the hardest hit? Consumers.
We need to start training the next generation of skilled-trade workers now. We're running out of time. If we don't, we're going to have an economic crisis on our hands. If we think things are bad now, we have something else coming. Try hiring a good contractor when there are fewer of them than there are today. I'm always telling people to slow down when planning a renovation, but at the rate things are going, homeowners will need to plan years in advance. Public construction, including schools, roads and hospitals, is going to slow way down, as well, not to mention the higher costs. Anyone who knows basic economics will know fewer skilled tradespeople means higher costs for their services.
But to get people into the proper training programs, we need to start changing the way people think about the trades. We need to change the way young people, parents, teachers and employers value practical skills. And what's not to love? Skilled trades shape the world around us -- literally. Plus, the money isn't so bad, either. According to the 2001 census, a skilled tradesperson earns about 3.1 per cent more than the average of all careers combined in Canada. And the sectors seeing the most growth are the green ones.
There's been a major impetus for most industries to start thinking green. I've been doing it for years now, and I agree. This is a huge sector, and growing. The research tells us we're going to need more specialized skills to support this green economic growth. That includes iron and steelworkers, welders, construction workers, and electricians -- because who is going to actually build these solar panels and wind turbines? Who is going to know how to harness that energy and convert it for consumer consumption? Who will be the front-line workers for the entire green infrastructure? Skilled tradespeople.
My dad always also used to say, "If you're going to do something, do it right the first time." WorldSkills is about that. This event is starting to get young people excited, and, more important, proud about working in the trades. I love it. Why not be proud of something you can do with your skill and knowledge? I think one of the most positive things out there is building. But that's me.
The point is for people to find what they really enjoy and what they're good at. And then, try and be the best they can in the field. Those are the kinds of people I hire. And those are the kinds of people anyone would want to hire. WorldSkills promotes that kind of thinking, the kind that promotes loving what you do and trying as hard as you can to always get better at it.
-- Postmedia News
Catch Mike in his new series, Holmes Inspection, airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV. For more information, visit www.hgtv.ca. For more information on home renovations, visitmakeitright.ca
