The educational pathway for a skilled trades student within the post-secondary realm may look a little different when compared to someone majoring in business or psychology, for example. Within an apprenticeship, which can take between 2 to 5 years to complete, many trades students only spend about 20% of each academic year (8-12 weeks) on campus taking classes and learning theory (i.e., the block release method). Limited time on campus also means limited availability to access resources and support offered by the campus. A study of Canadian apprentices reported that 62% of men and 41% of women rated their mental health as good or very good (Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, 2020). These Canadian apprentices also identified stressors that may negatively impact their overall mental health and wellbeing, including (Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, 2020):
- No available personal time to see a physician
- Physical pain that prevents apprenticeship work
- Limited or no access to counselling and other support services
- Financial and employment concerns
- Time management strain between apprenticeship, family/friends, and school
Areas of dissatisfaction within the trades are as follows (Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, 2020, 2023):
said they do not get the support they need |
said their trade negatively impacts |
said that not being able to take time off |
said their trade interferes |
For more information, check out CICMH’s Rest and Sleep infosheet here and our Improving Rest and Sleep course here.
Recent data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows that permit approvals do not reflect the labour market gaps that would allow students to obtain jobs and transition to becoming permanent residents in Canada (Crawley & Ouellet, 2024). Between 2018 and 2023, permits relating to skilled trades and vocational training only accounted for 1.25% (Crawley & Ouellet, 2024). With the recently implemented international student cap for Ontario’s post-secondary institutions, Ontario is prioritizing permits for programs that will now fill these ‘in-demand jobs’ within the province, one of them being the skilled trades. The government has also implemented the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), which permits skilled trade workers to obtain permanent residence status within 6 – 8 months to address Ontario’s need for skilled trades workers.
For more information on how to support international students, check out CICMH’s International Student Toolkit here.
