Michael Sangster is the CEO of the National Association of Career Colleges. NACC represents over 550 regulated career colleges across Canada, training more than 150,000 learners each year.
Building Canada Strong Starts with Building the Skilled Trades
Posted on Jun. 17, 2025 / Subscribe 0
By: Michael Sangster, Chief Executive Officer, NACC
As a new government takes its seat in Ottawa, Canada faces a challenge that will shape our economic future for decades: the looming shortage of skilled trades workers. With approximately 700,000 tradespeople expected to retire by the end of this decade, the need to train and deploy a new generation of skilled workers is urgent.
That effort starts in the earliest days of education by introducing skilled trades as a crucial and valuable career. All levels of post-secondary education have a role to play, and collaboration is the key.
The new federal government, led by Prime Minister Carney, has bet heavily on the skilled trades, committing to heavy investments in housing, infrastructure and major projects. But efforts to build thousands of new prefabricated homes, launch nation-building infrastructure projects and convert existing structures into affordable housing cannot succeed without first securing a robust, well-trained, skilled trades workforce.
Canada cannot afford to let the retirement of experienced workers become a crisis. Instead, we must seize this moment to invest in training, empower new entrants, and build a pipeline of skilled tradespeople ready to meet the needs of today and tomorrow.
Collaboration is our strength
The truth is, no single actor can tackle this labour gap alone. Meeting this challenge will require an all-hands-on-deck approach that unites the trades, education and government sectors behind a common cause.
Regulated career colleges, community colleges, and universities must work in concert to develop flexible, relevant, and innovative training pathways that deliver the workers Canada needs. Industry associations and unions need to bring their critical expertise in practical training, apprenticeship placements and mentorship to help inform the design and functionality of education programs. Governments at every level must help coordinate these efforts, stepping in with strategic funding where needed and ensuring policy frameworks support collaboration and rapid response to shifts in the labour market.
This comprehensive approach must include crafting smart immigration policy that balances Canada’s labour needs with opportunities for domestic learners. It includes breaking down harmful and outdated myths about the skilled trades and providing accessible pathways to employment in the trades for under-represented groups, including women, new Canadians and mid-career professionals seeking new opportunities.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Every new home, every infrastructure project and every manufacturing expansion relies on a skilled trades workforce that is custom-built to deliver the results Canada needs to meet the current moment.
And if we’re successful, we won’t just avert a crisis. We’ll be creating new opportunities for Canadians in every region of the country, driving our economic renewal as we push back against the threats our nation is facing – from the United States and beyond. We’ll be forging a new system of collaboration and problem-solving that will position Canada for an unprecedented era of growth and productivity.
NACC stands ready to partner with government, industry, communities and other postsecondary education institutions to deliver the workforce Canada needs. Together, we can ensure that the next generation of skilled trades professionals not only meets Canada’s emerging needs but takes us further, building a more resilient and prosperous nation for all.
Because that’s what it means to “Build Canada Strong.”
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