Perceptions and misconceptions of skilled trades

July 30, 2008

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum’s Allison Rougeau on misconceptions of trades education and the return on investment in skilled trades careers:

While there may be geographic and trade related differences in terms of pay scales for various occupations, careers in trades provide an excellent economic return on the investment both for the apprentice and the employer.
. . .
A survey of apprentices completing their first year of in-school training in Canada shows that they expect to earn an average annual income of between $52,000 and $55,000 upon graduation. This compares to the average annual income of $53,500 among apprenticeship graduates in a 2007 survey in Saskatchewan, whereby recently certified journeypersons from the class of 2005 were found to be earning an average annual income of $53,500.
This is somewhat higher than responses received from undergraduates who were making $45,400 and college graduates who were making $42,250.

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