Over the next five years, there will be almost 100,000 new job openings in Saskatchewan.
Do you want one of them?
The time to get ready is now.
Here’s the good news: many of these new jobs will offer highly competitive starting wages because they fill workplace demands for employees who have occupation-specific training, post-secondary education or apprenticeship training.
For instance, registered and licensed practical nurses, continuing care assistants and primary care paramedics continue to be in demand. Indeed.ca says an RN in Saskatchewan earns an average of $41 an hour; an RN with less than one year’s experience can expect to start at $34.75. Many jobs in the health care field offer similar wages.
There are also more job openings for industrial electricians than there are qualified electricians to fill them. “As mining, gas operations, and manufacturing become more automated, more industries rely on industrial electricians,” says the website Trades-School.net. “You can prepare to take on the important job of installing, testing, maintaining, and repairing industrial machines and equipment.”
This is whereSaskatchewan's colleges, such Carlton Trail College, come in. Affordable and community-based, they offer skills-based/trades education and training so that students can learn where they live. As well, tuition is typically less than an academic degree program.
“There are a lot of really advanced and cool things that you can be doing,” says Jennifer Brooks, the Development and Communications Manager at Carlton Trail College.
Spurring on this demand is a big demographic gap that is opening up a lot of opportunities, she says. “Baby boomers are retiring and there are simply not enough people coming up to replace them – we’re working to develop the labour pool our economy needs.”
Carlton Trail College solves the dilemma many graduates face when they are starting a career without much work experience. “Many of our programs combine education and experience by including a work placement component, introducing students to the world of work and potential employers,” Brooks says.
Carlton Trail College has four conveniently located campuses with outreach classrooms throughout east-central Saskatchewan:
- Humboldt: focuses on trades programs such as electrician, heavy equipment operator, power engineering technician, industrial mechanics, plumbing and pipefitting, general and journeyperson welding, along with healthcare and business programs and courses for newcomers (e.g. English language training).
- Watrous: focuses on the practical nursing diploma program.
- Wynyard: focuses on skills-based programs, adult basic education and courses for newcomers.
- Punnichy: focuses on industry training and adult basic education programs.
To find out what opportunities await you, visit the college’s website here. Follow them on Facebook for timely information on various programs and events.
