Portage la Prairie youth exploring skilled trades careers encounter a landscape rich with opportunity but marked by systemic challenges, according to local business, education, and training leaders.
Interviews with Meghan Shewfelt of Shewfelt's Plumbing and Heating, Guy Moffat of Red River College Polytech Portage, and Jason Green of the Portage la Prairie School Division reveal common themes of registration delays, training bottlenecks, and the critical need for proactive student engagement, alongside strong local potential.
Business perspective: Experience comes first
Meghan Shewfelt emphasizes that aspiring tradespeople often misunderstand the initial steps. Employers need to see proven skills and work ethic before registering someone as an apprentice, which triggers higher wage requirements.
"So essentially, you have to have a bit of experience, maybe a bit of skills to back that up in order to support that wage. That's what I find a lot of people aren't aware of when they're applying... they just think they can be an apprentice right off the bat, but unfortunately, that's not how it is."
Shewfelt notes that typical labourer periods are around 12 months before apprenticeship registration. A major hurdle she identifies is the slow processing of apprenticeship agreements and severe bottlenecks in technical training classes, particularly for early levels.
"It's proven itself over the last few years that I don't think there are enough classes offered. If those classes are filling up and people are having to wait, then I would say that's an indication that they need to either find more instructors or offer more classes."
She also points to the recent provincial shift back to a 1:1 journeyperson-to-apprentice ratio as a constraint, suggesting a return to 2:1 could help. Despite the hurdles, Shewfelt strongly encourages youth with work ethic and initiative, stating, "It's definitely not going anywhere... you're not gonna be without work."
College pathways: Flexibility and local potential
Guy Moffat, Regional Campus Manager for RRC Polytech Portage, outlines two primary entry routes: direct employer sponsorship or pre-employment college programs. He acknowledges the 1:1 ratio's impact on mentorship quality but understands the trade-off. For Portage, the key challenge is generating enough local student interest in specific trades to form viable cohorts.
"We've got the space, we've got the lab space. Finding qualified instructors is something that we're really good at," he says, adding that, "If we have 10 or more students, we would be able to put together a cohort." He further encourages students that if they have a group of friends that are all interested in the same trade, to make that known to them.
Moffat highlights significant local assets, including partnerships with Stevenson Southport for lab space and RRC's mobile training labs parked at the Portage campus. He urges interested students to vocalize their goals, noting advantages like cost savings and community support for studying locally.
"If there are people in Portage who would like to see a certain program, let us know... We're always looking to expand. We want to fill this building full of students."
He sees government subsidies helping affordability, but acknowledges the difficulty in perfectly matching training capacity with long-term labour market needs.
School division: Connecting youth and opportunities
Jason Green, Career Development Coordinator, observes a noticeable dip in high school apprenticeship registrations, estimating a 25-33% reduction, attributed largely to the 1:1 journeyperson ratio limiting employer capacity.
"The main challenge," he notes, "is that there is only X number of journey people out there that you can connect with. I just don't know there are quite as many opportunities as there were under the previous two-to-one ratio."
Green advises students without immediate apprenticeship connections to seek labourer positions with relevant businesses to prove their value. He sees strong local demand for agricultural equipment technicians and welders, alongside emerging opportunities in aviation maintenance.
"I'm encouraging young people that if you wish to become a tradesperson... try to just get connected with a business that does eventually offer the opportunity."
He stresses the importance of students leveraging personal networks and highlights the school division's existing strengths in carpentry and auto mechanics training.
Common ground and path forward
All three perspectives converge on several points: the impact of the 1:1 ratio, the necessity for youth to gain initial experience and demonstrate a strong work ethic, and the existence of tangible local opportunities despite systemic hurdles like training waitlists.
The potential for more localized technical training at RRC Polytech Portage hinges directly on students expressing clear demand.
For Portage la Prairie youth, navigating the trades landscape requires persistence, proactive networking, and clear communication of their career intentions to both educators and employers.