Trades Shortage Hits Local Job Sites
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 @ 4:42 AM
Prince George. B.C. – An abundance of sizeable projects coupled with the call of the “big bucks” to be made at northern mining sites has put a strain on the availability of trades people in the Prince George area.
Several construction projects have been or are working their way toward completion in the city, including the new RCMP building, Kordyban Lodge, the City’s 18th Avenue administration building, the Burger King outlet, and the new Kin Centre, to name just a few. The fact so many projects are underway is great news for contractors, the trades and the city itself, but that glut is also forcing completion dates to be pushed back, as exemplified by the two-month extension for completion of the 18th Avenue City building.
Dave Watson, a director with Wayne Watson Construction, says “getting too many large projects happening at the same time can certainly put a demand on the labour force. If they’re all starting at the same time you end up in a situation where you need all of the carpenters at once and all of the electricians at once whereas if they’re staggered then it’s not too bad. I mean it’s not a huge problem but it can be at times.”
Watson says not only are the local projects putting a strain on the number of trades people available “but some of these guys are taking off to work at these mines because there’s better money there.” And he says the problem can be made worse by the fact winter is coming on. “People go, let’s quickly put this out and get a price and get it done right away because winter’s coming. This time of year, September, October you get those type of clients that want to wrap something up before year end. So it’s not uncommon at this time of year to have a little surge.”
Watson says he can’t really speak for plumbers and electricians and the like, but operators have become very difficult to come by in recent years. “People operating your excavators and loaders, that’s been a real challenge for us. Carpenters not as much. You know you’ve got enough kids going through the system but operators there’s not enough kids, I don’t know why.” He says labourers are never too hard to find.
Watson says there are a few issues causing the operator shortage. Firstly the majority of the operators right now are nearing retirement age and there aren’t enough young people getting the training. “You go on a construction site with a whole pile of equipment being operated and you look at the age group of people operating the equipment and they’re very close to retirement, most of them. There’s a few young guys but not very many of them.” And he says that gap is not being filled. Secondly he says “you don’t want a kid that just took a little course to jump on a half-million-dollar piece of equipment and wipe something out. So you’ve got to look for someone with a little bit of experience, yet how do you get your experience in the first place. So it’s a tough one.”
Watson says “with a carpenter you can throw them in there with very little experience and say here, go push a broom and you can work your way up. Well you can’t do that with an operator. Well a little bit but not a lot.” He says there’s a problem in town finding qualified trades people. “You can always find someone who thinks they can do it, but finding qualified trades, it’s difficult.”
Comments
It’s the same ol, same ol. People want qualified people but they aren’t willing to train them up themselves. How is a kid just out of school who maybe has an operators course under his belt going to get experience if no one out there is willing to give him a shot?
This Watson guy seems to know what is going on. Hopefully he’s one of those owners who is willing to give the young guys a chance to get their feet wet….
How true.
This has been a problem for 20-30 years. No employers were willing to train the younger workers and would only hire people with 5 years or more of experience. This is one reason why there is such a shortage of skilled workers.
When no one hires someone with the training and skills,but no experience, they more on to other professions and others do not enter that field, because no one is hiring inexperience applicants.
It is true, there is a shortage of skilled workers, Train them yourself, and see if they will work with you. Pay them competitive wages.
I started 7 years ago, Gave 5 of them an opportunity over that period of time, they are still all with me. Picked a few stragglers.
If you see the problem, dont just stare at it, find a solution.
I’d like a chance but with only air brakes and limited loader experience good luck
Agree with Thunderboltz and Mercenary, and have heard this story from other parents. About 10 years ago my son wanted to pursue a trade, but before enrolling at CNC we checked around with local businesses to see if there would be an apprentice position. No one would take on an apprentice. So my son left the city, took work elsewhere and eventually decided to pursue his chosen trade again. In his new city he readily found a business that would take him on and keep his position while he attended school. He learned so much on the job that helped make the school sessions that much easier, and is now a successful journeyman elsewhere in the province. If he had been able to get an apprentice position in PG when he originally wanted to go down this path, he most likely would still be in PG.
Employers want the taxpayer to pay for trades training, or bring in foreign workers!
Perhaps part of the problem is that fewer kids are growing up on farms these days. By the time farm kids are 18 or 20, most of them are seasoned operators and know how to work.
From the employer’s point of view, it’s hard to justify spending the time training someone, and then they cross the street to work for the other guy for 10 cents more an hour.
If an employer treats their staff well and with respect, they won’t run across the street. They will have pride in their position with the employer they currently have, even if it’s a bit less in pay.
Employees that are that selfish that do run across the street in such a fashion, maybe weren’t worth keeping.
Working has turned into such an “us vs them” mentality.
“Employees that are that selfish that do run across the street in such a fashion, maybe weren’t worth keeping.”
Agreed. Hence the reason employers are hesitant to train.
Employers are hesitant to train, because they dont want to spend the money and take any chances.
So, if they run out of skilled workers, thats their problem.
Give our own young people a chance. With the mills disappearing they have to look elsewhere for Jobs,they need help our local business should be more helpful, by sponsoring people so they can get a trade. My son had to go to Ft.St. John to get a sponsor and now that he just about finished NOW they are interested in him. Its been a hard road. It makes me sick to pay for our politicians,to go overseas looking for trained people when if they had done it right we would have the trained people . Something has to change.Also a lot has to do with who you get as a Instructor some are better than others. Yes the the Farm Kid has a better chance. How many kids these days even have dads to help them ??
Tell the truth johnnybelt. It would have to be a bit more than 10 cents.
The smaller the community, the smaller the labour pool, the fewer projects a contractor manages to get.
If there is a surge in construction, then a contractor has to hunt for employees with the right skills and experience.
When construction drops off, employers lay off. They cannot keep people on a payroll if there is no work.
If there was steady work, it would not be a problem. As it is, it is both a matter of employees walking to better opportunities while the opportunities are available and employers laying off when there are no projects to provide the work.
This is a problem that is made worse the smaller the community and the fewer the commuity which are within a reasonable commute.
PG is a small community, with very few opportunities close by, and a peaks and valley construction project market.
No need to blame anyone. It is the modern marketplace at work where both workers and employers are expendable depending on the condition. It is corporate and personal survival at play.
So why are trades people making less real income today than they were 20-years ago?
The reality is that more and more those with money are the ones that either inherited it or made it through windfall investments in real-estate or the stock market. Less and less do people look to actually work for a living, because less and less is that how our economy works.
The reality is if they’re not going to make what they think they are worth, than they are more likely to move to a place where one enjoys not making a good living and that place is not really PG or the North.
For most people they have to be making good money and/or steady income if they’re are going to live and work in PG or the North. There is certainly no trades shortage in Vancouver or the Okanogan, but people sure enjoy living there.
All of you people who crow about “giving our local young people a chance” have obviously not discovered that it is difficult to find a kid who wants to work and is willing to stay at it long enough to learn something. However, we should never give up trying, unlike our political leaders who apparently endorse the concept of seeking skilled workers abroad. Address the problems we have at home and get more of your own people working before going to other countries to poach their talent.
metalman.
“”All of you people who crow about “giving our local young people a chance” have obviously not discovered that it is difficult to find a kid who wants to work and is willing to stay at it long enough to learn something.””
Really? Everywhere I go in the PG area I see young people working in service industry jobs….Tim Hortons, A&W, gas stations, dept stores etc etc etc. I poo poo the whole idea that BCs young people won’t work. :-(
IMHO our education system isn’t putting out young people with the appropriate skills training. They teach them how to do a book report, write a resume, and maybe do a little basket weaving. Where is the hard core real world education???
Kids coming out of high school should have welding tickets, electrical tickets, equipment and truck driving certificates, H2S and other safety training certifications….just to name a few.
It’s been this way since I graduated, isn’t it about time to make a change?????
When I was in high school…I told the guidance counsellor that I wanted to be a mechanic. She said I should set my sights higher and move on to college and university. Well…I didn’t. I make well over 100 grand a year as a ‘lowly mechanic’ which is far, far greater than any guidance counsellor ever made….
My point is that is the way people think these days. The only way you’re going to get ahead in this world is to get some sort of degree from university and become some doctor or lawyer. They don’t seem to realise that it’s folks like me who keep their cars running, their power plants going, their water filtration plants working, and the products and consumables flowing. My skills are just as important as everyone elses but we’re frowned upon because our job title basically amounts to ‘skilled labour’
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