Construction association trying to get more people into trades as labour shortage continues

The Construction Association of P.E.I. has received more than $213,000 of government money to renovate its existing training facility, buy tools and offer more courses.

The investment, shared by the province and the federal Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, is designed to encourage and support more people to look at a career in the trades.

There is currently a labour shortage in the trades on P.E.I. and it's expected to get worse over the next few years, said Sam Sanderson, general manager of the association.

"For us as an association in an industry, getting tools in people's hands is very, very important. The industry is thriving and the future looks very bright in construction here in P.E.I.," he said.

"And, you know, we have a need for hundreds and hundreds of skilled tradespeople, not only currently, but in the short term and in the long term."

Sanderson said they will be focusing on six trades: carpentry, masonry, drywall, electrical, plumbing and roofing. 

"We are not offering any accreditations, these are for entry-level positions only. We are fully supporting and encouraging the apprenticeship path and trade school. This is just, you know, that first step to get people interested in and, you know, to kind of help people really understand more of the trades, give them more hands on in various fields."

Sanderson noted the association is partnering with Habitat for Humanity helping with builds.

And later this week, the association is launching its virtual reality trades training.

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