Canada is facing a significant skills shortage. According to recent data, 77 per cent of Canadian businesses surveyed say they are unable to find suitably skilled candidates for the jobs they have available.

Even among those who apply with relevant skills, 44 per cent don’t have the required level of proficiency to secure employment. At present, there are about 700,000 job vacancies across the country.

This mismatch persists despite Canada having one of its largest-ever graduating classes — nearly 360,000 students from colleges, universities and trade schools.

As labour shortages deepen across sectors, the disconnect between formal education and real-world job requirements is becoming harder to ignore.

Canada’s skills shortage is expected to worsen in the coming years. Between now and 2028, 700,000 workers in the skilled trades are due to retire.

Canada’s antiquated apprenticeship system is struggling to produce enough workers to fill this gap. It is slow, outdated and has low completion rates: just 32 per cent of male and 35 per cent of female candidates complete their training.

Completing an apprenticeship can take up to four years in Canada, while many other nations have much higher completion rates in two years or less.

It is not just trades that Canada has challenges with. If current trends continue, Canada is projected to face a shortage of 100,000 nurses by 2030.........

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