🚧 Why We’re Starting This Conversation
There’s something we need to talk about.
Not in a loud way. Not in an angry way. But in an honest way.
For decades — quietly — we’ve been sending a message.
If you’re smart, you go to university. If you’re ambitious, you pursue something “professional.” If you’re capable, you aim higher.
And if you work with your hands?
Well.
That must mean something else.
Even if we don’t say it directly, the message is there. Parents feel it. Students feel it. Tradespeople definitely feel it.
And here’s the problem:
That belief isn’t just outdated. It’s damaging.
👀 The Cultural Blind Spot
We live in a society that praises knowledge work — but often overlooks skilled work.
We admire architects. We admire engineers. We admire designers.
But the person who physically brings the vision to life? The one who solves the problem when the drawings don’t match reality? The one whose hands determine whether something lasts 50 years or fails in five?
We don’t always give that role the same weight. Somewhere along the way, working with your hands became associated with “less than.” Less academic. Less prestigious. Less upward. But when you step back and really think about it — that narrative falls apart.
Because the truth is:
Skilled trades require intelligence. They require spatial reasoning. They require math. They require design thinking. They require communication. They require judgment built over years. In Canada, most Red Seal trades require thousands of apprenticeship hours — often between 6,000 and 9,000 hours — combined with in‑class technical training that rivals many post‑secondary diploma programs. (Red Seal Program overview: https://www.red-seal.ca/eng)
And they require something else we don’t talk about enough:
Responsibility.
When you build something, there’s no hiding behind theory. It either stands. Or it doesn’t.
📊 The Numbers Are Telling a Story
This isn’t just philosophical. It’s practical. Canada is already facing a skilled trades shortage.
Statistics Canada has reported a decline in younger participation in the trades between 2016 and 2021, while the share of workers aged 55+ continues to rise. That means more retirements are coming — and fewer replacements behind them. You can read the breakdown here: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/81-595-m/81-595-m2024002-eng.htm
BuildForce Canada’s labour outlook also projects that a significant portion of the current construction workforce will retire over the next decade, creating replacement demand in the hundreds of thousands nationwide.
Full report here: https://www.buildforce.ca/en/lmi
When experienced tradespeople leave, they don’t just take a job vacancy with them. They take decades of knowledge. Judgment. Problem‑solving instincts. Lessons learned the hard way. That kind of experience cannot be fast‑tracked. At the same time, housing demand continues to grow even if sales have slowed recently. Housing is unaffordable to many young people, and the main reason for that is the lack of skilled tradespeople to build those homes cost-effectively. Infrastructure continues to age. Communities continue to expand.
The Canadian Home Builders’ Association has repeatedly warned that labour shortages are one of the primary constraints on increasing housing supply in Canada. Details here: https://www.chba.ca/2024/04/11/monumental-workforce-increase-required-to-meet-housing-supply-targets-to-address-affordability-in-canada/
The world doesn’t need fewer skilled builders. It needs more, and just because we have seen a small pause in housing demand doesn’t mean this problem has been solved. We are merely avoiding dealing with this issue at a time when we really should focus on it.
👷 The Human Side of This
If you’re in the trades, you already know what this feels like.
You’ve probably heard comments like:
“Why didn’t you go to school?” “Is that what you’re doing long term?” “Are you going to move into something bigger?”
Yet nationally recognized certification systems exist precisely because these professions require high standards of competence and accountability. There are currently 50+ Red Seal trades recognized across Canada — each requiring formal testing and a structured apprenticeship.
Program information: https://www.red-seal.ca/eng/trades/tr.1d.2s_l.3st.shtml
And still, perception lags.
There’s another tension happening right now.
Educators and guidance counsellors are increasingly encouraging young people to consider the trades. We hear it often: “There’s opportunity there.” “There’s good money.” “There’s demand.”
And that part is true.
But what often isn’t articulated clearly is what actually waits for them when they arrive.
The work is hard. The environments can be rough. The culture isn’t always polished. And in many cases, the people already there didn’t choose it as their first option — they arrived through circumstance, not calling.
When a profession is treated socially as a fallback for decades, it shapes the internal culture of that profession. It affects morale. It affects pride. It affects how newcomers are mentored.
So we end up with young people being told, “Go into the trades — it’s a great path,” but without preparing them for the physical reality, the expectations, or the mindset required to thrive.
And when they arrive unprepared — physically or psychologically — many leave disillusioned.
At the same time, there’s a quieter influence that rarely gets addressed: parents.
For generations, we have been programmed to believe that university equals upward mobility. That a degree equals security. That a desk equals a better life.
Even when educators promote the trades publicly, many parents still hold onto that older belief privately. It’s understandable — it’s what they were taught.
But ask a harder question:
How many people currently working in the trades genuinely hope their children will follow in their footsteps?
In many cases, very few.
Why is that?
If this work is stable. If it’s meaningful. If it’s dignified.
Why do so many tradespeople quietly hope their kids choose something else?
That question alone tells us something important.
It tells us the issue isn’t just opportunity. It’s perception. It’s culture. It’s pride. It’s how we’ve framed this work for decades.
And none of that reflects the full reality of what this path can become when it’s chosen intentionally rather than inherited reluctantly.
🛠️ This Isn’t About Romanticizing Hard Work
The trades are hard. Physically demanding. Mentally demanding. Sometimes unpredictable.
This isn’t about pretending otherwise.
It’s about acknowledging that difficulty doesn’t make something lesser.
In fact, in many cases, it’s the opposite.
Mastery in the trades is earned. It takes time. Repetition. Failure. Adjustment. Humility.
You don’t get to fake it. You don’t get to hide behind a presentation. The results are visible.
That kind of accountability builds character in a way few environments do.
⚠️ What Happens If We Don’t Shift This Narrative?
If we continue to treat the trades as secondary:
• Fewer young people will pursue them.
• Shortages will grow. • Quality will decline.
• Costs will rise.
• Communities will feel the impact.
We are already seeing signs of this strain in housing timelines and workforce availability across major urban centres — including Toronto.
But more importantly, we’ll continue undervaluing a path that can build meaningful, stable, independent lives.
The trades are not a fallback. They are not a consolation prize. They are not the option you take when something else doesn’t work out.
They are a legitimate, intelligent, disciplined profession.
And they deserve to be seen that way.
🔎 Why We’re Starting This Conversation (Continued)
This isn’t about marketing. It’s about clarity.
It’s about asking better questions:
What if success doesn’t only look like a desk? What if intelligence doesn’t only look academic? What if building something tangible is just as worthy as designing it?
And what if the next generation needs permission — not pressure — to choose a path that feels like part of who they are?
We’re starting a conversation about dignity in the trades. About struggle. About purpose. About what it really means to build a life with your hands.
Because whether people realize it or not —
The world still runs on skilled builders.
And next, we’re going to talk about where this belief came from — and why it’s time to challenge it.
