More high school grads opting for skilled trades

Stigma from parents, educators said to be obstacle

- ISABEL TEOTONIO

Jade Joslin, who graduates high school this week, is part of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program.

Growing up, Zachary Bhual loved collecting model cars, playing with Hot Wheels and going to auto shows to get close to the classics.

Now, the 17-year-old high school graduate will keep fuelling that lifelong passion, as he transitions from being a student with a penchant for auto shop to a paid apprentice on the road to becoming an automotive service technician.

“I’m excited,” said Bhual about graduating from St. Joan of Arc Catholic Academy in Scarborough, eager to trade his uniform for mechanic coveralls, and swap poring over books for peering under hoods. “I walk with my head up, not down anymore. It’s just a very rewarding feeling ... There’s just this sense of pride I get working on cars.”

He’s among a growing number of Toronto teens going into the skilled trades — this includes construction workers, carpenters, plumbers, cooks and hairstylists — the public and Catholic school boards say.

Interest may grow as the province implements new graduation requirements.

These are meant to better prepare graduating students for future jobs; in September students starting Grade 9 must earn a Grade 9 or 10 credit in technological education. The goal is to expose more kids to tech ed, which covers a range of sectors such as construction, transportation, manufacturing, computer technology, hospitality and communication.

In Ontario, employers already face recruitment challenges in the trades and expect to need more than 500,000 additional workers over the next decade — more than 141,000 in the construction industry alone because of retirements and job growth.

As students provincewide usher out the school year on Friday, many high school graduates are looking forward to the next chapter, including several who spoke with the Star about careers in the trades.