Anxious times for trades school students and unemployed workers

Recent news that Newfoundland and Labrador is set to shed thousands of skilled trades jobs has people worried about what will happen to tradespeople currently looking for work and those still in training.

Recently, the province's pipefitters union said there was "no chance" of hundreds of apprentices getting work in light of the economic downturn. 

• N.L. to lose 24,000 jobs over next three years 
• Future not so bright for piping trades apprentices, union says 

And it's not just pipefitters who are feeling the decline.

Nathan Bugler, who just finished a nine-month training program as an electrician, says it's been a struggle to find work since he got out of school.

"I was told there's always trouble finding your first job, but when you get your foot in the door it becomes a lot easier," he said.

"But especially now with the price of oil going down, a lot of jobs have been lost," he told CBC News.

Bulger said despite the doom and gloom, he still plans to pursue a career as an electrician.

"I was told my friends and family members that it was a really good trade," he said.

"It's practical, you can use it for yourself, wire your own house and do electrical repairs."

Even those with work experience worried

It's not just people starting out who have anxieties about the job market, even tradespeople that have been employed in the past are finding it hard to get work.

Chris Corcoran, who was recently working as an electrician at Long Harbour, said now that he's finished at that site there is no guarantee his experience will get him another job.

"They're starting to slow down as we speak now. I just recently got laid off, and looking for work," he said.

"I figured as a journeyman I'd have no trouble, but it's still hard. For apprentices, I don't know what they're going to do."

The provincial government's latest Labour Market Outlook estimates that 24,000 thousand jobs will be lost in Newfoundland and Labrador in the next three years.

Many of those jobs will disappear due to the winding down of major projects like Vale's Long Harbour project and a major downturn in the mining and oil and gas sectors.