In the trades, apprentices are increasing, but not enough are making it to certification

This time next year, Joellah Fletcher plans to be prepping or taking her final exams to become a certified Red Seal carpenter.

The determined, level 2 carpentry apprentice from outside Stratford, Ont., has had a fairly straightforward path since choosing a trade rather than university. She took carpentry co-op placements and a dual-credit opportunity in Grade 12, which led to a pre-apprenticeship college program that matched her with her current employer.

Still, Fletcher's journey hasn't been bump-free. She conducted early research on her own, for instance, because high school guidance counsellors didn't have much info. Officially tracking her apprenticeship journey, a requirement for certification, was also delayed.

“I was about a year, a year-and-a half in before I even realized I was supposed to have a log book for the different jobs I was suppose to be completing and signing off on,” said the 21-year-old.

Canada is seeing more new apprentices signing up than it has in over a decade, says Statistics Canada, yet the number of apprentices reaching certification in a timely manner remains much lower. Financial concerns, difficulty getting hired early on, spotty guidance and mentorship for both apprentices and journeypersons are among the barriers tripping up young tradespeople today.

New registrations in apprenticeship programs nationally hit a record high of 101,541 in 2024, an increase of nearly six percent over the previous year, Statistics Canada revealed this month.

What helped propel that rise? Aspiring plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters, electricians and interior finishers signing up in Alberta and British Columbia, plus folks eager to become automotive service workers and electricians in Ontario.

Yet with 46,971 certificates issued in 2024, the completion rate (19.9 per cent) is still lower than pre-pandemic levels, while the continuation rate — apprentices registered in programs, but not yet certified — remains elevated (49.2 per cent).

"New registrations are going up — that's awesome, but we need people to complete," said Emily Arrowsmith, director of research at the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, a national non-profit advocacy and research organization.

"We need to offer those supports and resources and get them through the program, because if a bunch of people just end up dropping out, it doesn't matter that there's new registrations."

Canada's population of certified tradespeople has been declining for the last decade, Arrowsmith noted, adding that there are a variety of barriers that traditionally stand in the way.

That includes level 1 or 2 apprentices not finding employers to sponsor them, as well as apprentices earning good wages being hesitant to take a pay cut to attend the blocks of training required to progress to the next level.

Employers unwilling to release workers for training during busy stretches and apprentices anxious about taking final certification exams are also ongoing concerns.

Meanwhile, bullying and harassment remain persistent in the trades, with people from equity priority groups often leaving “because they just don't feel welcome,” Arrowsmith said.