Polytechnic schools across the province are increasing capacity to meet a growing demand for skilled trade workers. Those in the industry say there are shortages as baby boomers retire and major projects develop. Construction crews were preparing a new skilled trades centre at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) on Wednesday. Once complete, the building will add a capacity of 15,000 apprentices on an annual basis, according to School of Construction Dean Matt Lindberg Fowlow. A new skilled trades centre also opened its doors in Grande Prairie, some 450 kilometres north of Edmonton, on Wednesday. The Northwestern Polytechnic’s Skilled Trades Training Centre is expected to support the training of more than 4,500 apprentices in the next three years, expanding the school’s previous capacity of 1,100. But projects are supported by provincial government funding. The Alberta government allocated $1 million in Budget 2025 for the Grande Prairie site itself. A Government of Alberta employment outlook estimates that from 2024 to 2026, 45 per cent of occupations in the province will experience “notable or mild” labour shortages as baby boomers retire out of industries. The trades are among those with the highest projected shortages. “There are a lot of things that we need as a society that are done in the trades that can be enhanced, but not completely replaced,” Express Employment Professionals president Jessica Culo said. “(We need to) make sure people know that opportunity is there. I don’t think a lot of young people entering the workforce know that.” NAIT hopes the new skilled trades centre will address some of those needs as the province pushes ahead on major projects – including the potential construction of a proposed west coast pipeline. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Noah Rishaug
