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Opinion: We need better welding education in schools

The country needs more skilled trades but lack of tools and money mean most schools give students a poor introduction to modern welding

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We hear a lot these days about how, with building and manufacturing becoming national priorities again, we need more workers in the skilled trades. And we do. But in one key trade — welding — we’re not going about training them the right way.

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Canada’s skilled-trades workers often start out in a high school welding booth, where interested students use their hands to fuse metal and discover both a gateway into the skilled trades and the value of pursuing them as a career.

But welding technology has advanced significantly in recent years. Students now need to acquire foundational skills and gain exposure and proficiency in: multi-process welding machines, automated systems, and modern safety standards, all of which they’ll be expected to know about when they step onto the shop floor.

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Instead, most Canadian students are trained on equipment so outdated that they often need re-training when they start their first job. It’s a problem employers regularly encounter with new hires.

Secondary school funding for technical education isn’t keeping pace with modern workplace needs. I head up the CWB Foundation, which the Canadian Welding Bureau founded in 2013. In conversations with technical educators, we hear how budgets are being cut, sometimes to just $250-a-month per class for classes of 24 students or more. That amount only lets students work with steel once or twice a week and doesn’t cover basic consumables, safety gear or equipment maintenance.

The CWB Foundation receives about 195 grant applications a year from secondary schools across the country seeking welding equipment, consumables and skills training support so they can better prepare their students for real-world work. Total requests for both the Equipment and Technology Advancement program and the CWB WeldSAFETM grant amount to $2 million. Unfortunately, there’s only enough donor funding to support roughly 30 per cent of these requests.

When 70 per cent of requests for assistance go unfunded despite critical need, that’s a signal both governments and industry need to take action. Educational funding, combined with external funding from industry partnerships, needs to help bridge that gap. This is especially important when 47 per cent of employers say they can’t find qualified welders, according to our 2024 employment and salary report. It’s a gap that needs to be addressed promptly.

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Technical education requires industry collaboration. Employers have to invest in environments where skills develop. They should donate equipment they’re not using — plasma cutters, say — instead of letting them gather dust or be scrapped. Teachers obviously do the best they can with what they have, but they often don’t have access to the tools they should be helping young welders gain experience on.

How could industry partner up?

By donating equipment and consumables: Scrap metal or a welding machine that’s being phased out of production can have an immediate impact on a high school.

By collaborating with educators: Teachers need help designing classrooms and curricula that align with industry objectives. Operators should also open their doors to allow students to visit facilities, observe modern welding environments and participate in internships during the summer.

By supporting safety infrastructure: Working ventilation, adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and properly functioning equipment aren’t luxuries: safety truly isn’t optional. Secondary schools applying for CWB Foundation safety equipment grants shouldn’t face a 61 per cent chance of rejection.

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Workshop safety is an especially important area for improvement. Recent CWB Foundation safety audits reveal that many schools operate without sufficient PPE, proper ventilation or tools that align with modern industry standards. Outdated, poorly equipped shops send the wrong message about welding careers and discourage students from exploring what could be satisfying and rewarding work for them.

Employers need to ask themselves what they have put into the skilled-trades training pipeline. If their answer gives them pause, their trouble finding skilled welders shouldn’t be a surprise. The labour shortage isn’t new, but if governments and industry keep pursuing short-term fixes, it won’t be any better in 10 years.

The right support and equipment largely determine whether high school students remain engaged in the skilled trades or walk away. At the moment, we’re giving too many students reason to look elsewhere. Industry can’t afford that any longer, and neither can Canada. Increased industry involvement and modest investment from our governments can help ensure that our students receive proper training and our workforce is prepared to keep building Canada.

Susan Crowley is executive director of the CWB Foundation.

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