Ontario’s construction labour shortage cannot be solved simply by putting more apprentices on jobsites. The province must ensure that those who enter the industry remain long enough to become qualified tradespeople, according to Glenda Rahn, Director of Workforce Development at Merit Ontario.
“We need to stop thinking about vocational training primarily as a recruitment issue and start viewing it as a workforce development system,” Glenda Rahn told Senso Magazine.
Rahn’s work focuses on apprenticeship and workforce development in Ontario’s construction sector. Merit Ontario represents open-shop construction employers in the province and is The apprentice brings the commitment to learn and develop. acting as an intermediary between participating employers, apprentices and Ontario’s apprenticeship system.
The scale of the challenge is significant. According to BuildForce Canada projections, approximately 90,300 workers could leave Ontario’s construction industry through retirement by 2034. Combined with workforce requirements resulting from industry growth, total hiring needs could reach approximately 154,100 workers over that period.
For Rahn, however, increasing the number of people entering the trades without looking at what happens during the years that follow provides only a partial solution.
“We absolutely need young people entering the trades. We also need career changers, newcomers and people who may never have considered construction before,” she explained. “But increasing registrations without improving progression and completion isn’t enough.”
An expectations gap
One of the challenges identified by Rahn is the gap between the expectations of experienced tradespeople and those of a new generation entering jobsites without necessarily having previous exposure to construction.
A contractor may expect a new apprentice to understand basic tools, terminology, safety requirements and how a jobsite operates. That experience, however, can no longer be taken for granted.
“If we’re serious about expanding the skilled trades workforce, we have to recognize that we’re going to be bringing people into the industry who don’t already know the industry,” Rahn said.
According to Rahn, many of the young people now being encouraged to pursue careers in the skilled trades did not grow up in families connected to construction and may not have had opportunities to learn how to use tools before entering the workforce.
At the same time, the new generation is entering the workforce with different expectations around work-life balance, career development, communication and having their voices heard.
“Neither side is necessarily wrong. There is an expectations gap that we need to bridge,” she said.
That adaptation, Rahn added, does not mean lowering standards.
“Young people entering construction still need to understand the importance of safety, reliability, hard work, continuous learning and accountability.”
Hiring is only the beginning
An apprentice’s journey can extend over several years, combining practical workplace experience with in-class training. Skilled Trades Ontario describes completion as a process that requires apprentices to complete both their on-the-job and classroom training requirements and ensure their records are up to date before receiving a Certificate of Apprenticeship.
“Hiring really is only the beginning,” Rahn explained.
“Once someone is registered as an apprentice, there can be four or five years of development ahead of them.”
It is during that period, according to Rahn, that some of the greatest risks of attrition emerge: financial pressures, changing employers, difficulties with schooling, insufficient exposure to the full scope of a trade or simply the absence of a clear pathway to certification.
Workplace culture can also play a role.
“If an experienced tradesperson is thinking, ‘When I started, nobody had to teach me that,’ while the apprentice is thinking, ‘Nobody has explained what you expect from me,’ frustration can develop very quickly on both sides,” Rahn explained.
For Rahn, structured onboarding, clear expectations, regular conversations and effective mentorship can prevent relatively small problems from becoming reasons for someone to leave the industry.
Mentors also need to know how to teach
Mentorship repeatedly emerges in the conversation as one of the key elements in apprentice retention.
“Being an excellent tradesperson doesn’t automatically make someone an excellent mentor,” Rahn cautioned.
For decades, much of the learning in construction has been based on observation and repetition: working alongside someone more experienced, performing the task and learning through practice. Rahn believes that model still has considerable value, but it also needs to evolve.
“A younger apprentice may ask more questions. They may want to understand why something is being done a particular way. They may want feedback, want to understand how they’re progressing and want to feel that they’re being heard,” she explained.
That should not automatically be interpreted as a lack of work ethic or commitment, Rahn advised.
Apprentices, in turn, also need to adapt to the demands of the industry, including productivity, reliability, preparation and accountability.
“A strong mentor bridges those two perspectives,” Rahn said. “The best mentors aren’t lowering expectations for the next generation. They’re clearly communicating those expectations and helping apprentices develop the skills, confidence and behaviours required to meet them.”
With thousands of experienced tradespeople approaching retirement, the issue extends beyond individual retention.
“We don’t want decades of trade knowledge walking out the door without being passed on to the next generation.”
When certification is not mandatory
Progression can become particularly vulnerable in trades where certification is not mandatory to legally work in the occupation.
Ontario currently recognizes 144 skilled trades, 23 of which are classified as compulsory. In non-compulsory trades, a person can legally work without certification, although they can complete an apprenticeship and obtain professional qualifications.
That is precisely where barriers to training can become particularly important, according to Rahn.
“If someone can continue working in the occupation without becoming certified, and completing the apprenticeship means travelling, waiting for training or navigating additional barriers, they may decide not to finish,” she explained.
Rahn pointed to Heavy Duty Equipment Technician as an example of a trade where access to different levels of training can be challenging depending on location and the Training Delivery Agent. The occupation is classified as a non-compulsory trade in Ontario, and apprenticeship programs include multiple levels of in-class training.
For Rahn, the system must therefore provide a realistic pathway between initial registration and completion.
“Registering someone as an apprentice is only meaningful if there is a realistic pathway for that person to complete the required training.”
The role of a Group Sponsor
It is within this context that Rahn places the model used by Merit Ontario.
As a Group Sponsor, The apprentice brings the commitment to learn and develop.including registration, tracking hours and progression, and assistance related to in-class training and mentorship.
For small and medium-sized businesses, Rahn’s experience has been that this structure allows employers to concentrate on practical experience and professional development without having to navigate every administrative component of the apprenticeship system on their own.
“The employer provides the workplace, the practical experience and the mentorship. The apprentice brings the commitment to learn and develop. The Group Sponsor helps connect the pieces and keep that apprenticeship moving forward,” she said.
The model also allows for continued contact with apprentices throughout their journey, helping identify obstacles and intervene before a challenge turns into a reason to leave.
“We’re not simply registering an apprentice and hoping they eventually get to the finish line,” Rahn emphasized.
Technology without taking hands off the tools
Modernizing training is another challenge identified by Rahn, but she cautions against assuming that younger workers automatically prefer learning through a computer.
“Some apprentices are very tech savvy, and some aren’t,” she observed.
In fact, she added, many people choose careers in the skilled trades precisely because they enjoy working with their hands, solving problems and being physically active.
It is within that context that technologies such as virtual reality and simulators can become increasingly relevant.
“Technology in the Skilled Trades does not turn a hands-on-learner into a computer-based learner, but it will create more opportunities for hands-on and experiential learning.”
Heavy-equipment simulators, for example, can allow an apprentice to experience different scenarios and practise procedures in a controlled environment before carrying them out in real-world conditions.
Rahn also believes learning challenges need to be identified earlier, particularly in foundational areas such as math and reading comprehension.
“The purpose isn’t to screen people out. It’s exactly the opposite.”
Rather than discovering a difficulty only after an apprentice fails a certification exam, she explains, the system can identify support needs at the beginning and use the following years to address them.
“What knowledge are we assuming they already have?”
These issues will be at the centre of Merit Ontario’s ApprenticeshipForum for Employers, scheduled for November 18 in Mississauga.
The event is scheduled to take place at the Hilton Garden Inn on Matheson Boulevard and will feature Candice White, CEO and Registrar of Skilled Trades Ontario, as keynote speaker. The forum is focused on employer solutions, workforce development and apprentice success.
According to Rahn, the topics were adjusted after the organization reviewed feedback from employers who participated in the previous year’s forum.
“We don’t want employers spending a morning listening to presentations and then going back to work without anything they can actually use.”
Rahn wants companies to leave the forum asking themselves practical questions.
“Who is mentoring our apprentices? What does the first 30, 60 or 90 days look like? What knowledge are we assuming they already have? Are we clearly communicating expectations? Are our mentors equipped to work with the next generation?”
Other questions include whether apprentices are receiving exposure to the full scope of their trade, whether companies can quickly identify when someone is struggling and where gaps exist between formal training and what employers actually need on the job.
A race against retirement
The outlook for the next five to 10 years makes these issues particularly urgent.
BuildForce Canada estimates that despite the projected entry of approximately 102,200 workers under the age of 30 into Ontario’s construction industry by 2034, the sector could still face a gap of nearly 52,000 workers relative to projected hiring requirements.
For Rahn, the response will have to involve:employers, schools, colleges, Training Delivery Agents, Skilled Trades Ontario, government and organizations that support apprentices.
Updated curricula, sufficient instructor capacity, better access to in-class training, structured onboarding, mentorship and earlier identification of learning needs are all part of that equation.
But Rahn repeatedly returns to the same measure of success: completion.
“Most importantly, the measure of success shouldn’t simply be how many people we register as apprentices,” Rahn said. “It should be how many we develop into skilled, certified tradespeople who stay in the industry and eventually train the generation that comes after them.”