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
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.