Fresh supply of welders on the way to fill Alberta industry demand
A new welding program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is preparing to graduate its first batch of welders, with employers saying there are more than enough jobs to greet them.
Industry experts say high demand for welders is driving up enrollment in welding programs at NAIT, and that new apprentices are ready to start filling gaps in the workforce.
Larry Toews, a welding instructor at NAIT, said interest in welding and enrollment in apprenticeships are tied to how many jobs there are to fill. When the economy is slow, demand for training drops because there aren't enough positions to attract new talent in the field.
"If the employers are signing up apprentices and creating jobs, then we're going to see the increased enrollment in order to do that," he said.
"The reason for the drop off, I believe, was industry demand and the economy. And it goes in peaks and valleys, and it seems to be coming back now."
Due to the shortage of qualified tradespeople in the province, and the time needed to train new welders, some welding companies have said they're having to recruit internationally to fill positions.
Mike Smith, chair of the new Advanced Welding Technology diploma program at NAIT, said he understands the need of industry to react but he believes there is plenty of talent to pull from in Canada and Alberta.
“I think it would be much better for our people and also for our population base if we were to try to put a little more effort into securing employment for our domestic workforce,” Smith said.
Carlos Rojas travelled to Edmonton from Chile so that he could study welding at NAIT. The current shortage of workers, he said, is good news for him and other graduates.
"Hopefully I'm going to get a job right away," he said. "You know, study something and get a job right away, I think is the desire of every student."
Another student, Brandon Cardinal, is in his second year of the NAIT apprenticeship program. He said through an interpreter that he's hoping to fill gaps in more advanced welding fields, like pipe welding and b-pressure welding.
"There's a lot of companies that have availabilities because of the shortage, looking for different skills and stuff. So that means a lot of opportunities for myself," Cardinal said. "It's very exciting."
The advanced welding diploma is a two-year program and is expecting between 15 and 20 graduates in April.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.