More Apprenticeships Needed Now To Meet Future Demand For Engineering Jobs

Engineering Staffing Agencies TorontoThe lack of emphasis on engineering at the elementary and secondary school levels may be unintentionally discouraging students from considering jobs or apprenticeships in this field as they pursue a post-secondary education. The genesis of this observation comes from Sir James Dyson, the inventor of the immensely popular bag-less vacuum cleaner.

There appears to be some level of support for this observation with respect to academic trending data in Canada. Although the field of engineering generally has higher-paying jobs than other disciplines (such as education, agricultural science, and the humanities), a recent study showed that only 21.2% of Canadian university graduates in 2010 were from the disciplines of:

  • Science
  • Mathematics
  • Computer sciences, or
  • Engineering

This was the third straight year of a decline in this percentage, in turn, lowering Canada’s rank among 16 peer countries (including Germany, Japan, Australia, and the U.S.) from 9th to 12th during that period.

By contrast, Finland ranked first among the same 16 countries with 32% of its university graduates in 2010 coming from one of the four above noted areas of study. One reason cited for the strength of Finland’s rank is its strong math and science culture throughout all levels of its educational system. This may also lend credence to Dyson’s observation that the pursuit of jobs and apprenticeships is not suitably encouraged in the junior levels of education in some countries, including Canada.

While approximately 6% of all Canadian graduates in 2010 came specifically from either engineering or engineering trades, this figure was also lower than the percentages for many other peer countries including Finland, Sweden, Austria, and Germany – statistics for Japan were not available and figures for emerging countries such as India and China are rising at increasingly fast rates.

These trends are somewhat disturbing as there appears to be a dichotomy between the supply of engineering graduates in Canada and the demand to fill such jobs today and in the future. As a result, the country as a whole will need to become more aggressive in encouraging and developing future engineers, in order to narrow/overcome the gap that currently exists between Canada and its global competitors.

It is imperative that Canada remains competitive in the engineering field, and does not lose any further ground, from a number of perspectives, including:

  • Meeting the future demand for jobs
  • Developing/refining appropriate skill sets
  • Encouraging and fostering innovation
  • Attracting strategic investments
  • Supporting/maintaining economic growth
For firms looking to staff engineering jobs or offer engineering apprenticeships in such industry sectors as:

  • Aerospace
  • Manufacturing and production
  • Structural design and development
  • Electronics and more

Connecting with an engineering staffing agency in Toronto may prove beneficial in identifying available candidates and/or encouraging the potential talent necessary to fill these roles while simultaneously supporting the development of our future engineers.

To address your staffing needs for engineering jobs or engineering apprenticeships, today and looking to the future, call Winters Technical Staffing today at 1-877-495-7422 or contact us to request a complimentary consultation.

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