Two-day career fair looks to attract young Londoners to a future in skilled trades

With an ambitious housing target looming, the province is hoping to spur more interest among young people about starting a career in one of more than 100 skilled trades.

It's the goal of a multi-city interactive career fair put on by the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development which rolled into London on Tuesday at the Western Fair District Agriplex.

Roughly 2,250 students in grades 7 to 12 from at least 40 local schools, some as far west as Essex County, attended the first day of the two-day fair, now in its third year. Several thousand more are expected Wednesday.

Among them was Josh Van de Kemp, a Grade 12 student at London Christian High, a local private school. He was one of several high schoolers getting hands-on experience constructing three small shelters that will be used in the community for the unhoused.

"They're going to go to St. Thomas. I think the plan said there's going to be a bed in there, talks of a toilet and a sink," said Van de Kemp, who works in a construction job after school with the hope of becoming an electrician.

"I think we might get it done tomorrow... there's a lot to do still."

The students involved, all in construction programs at their schools, aren't just helping the community, but are gaining exposure to multiple trades through the exhibit, said Mike Carter, CEO of the London and District Construction Association.

It also shows other students, "this is the cool kind of stuff that you actually get to do," he said. 

As experienced tradespeople retire, resulting in a widening labour gap, it's important to get young people interested while they're still in school, said Carter, who helped set up the London fair.

Last year, the province said it would need 100,000 more skilled trade workers over the next decade to meet its building goals, including at least 1.5 million new homes by 2031.

"There's a whole succession that has to go on. It really does take, most often, four to five years to become a tradesperson after you join as an apprentice, but that… doesn't mean that you're a fully experienced journeyperson," he said.

"You need an awful lot of time to get young people prepared, and this is actually one of the very best ways to do it, to get them doing stuff."

Sharon Devries, Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program co-ordinator for the Thames Valley District School Board, said she's noticed growing interest among students in skilled trades, helped by the labour shortage, career fairs, events at local colleges and their parents.

"You can see parents are talking to their students, but then also in classes… the introduction of a mandatory tech class in Ontario (is) certainly a sign of where the government's putting their energy and effort," she said.