Trade Tracks hopes to connect students to trades

FERGUS – A growing body of data is showing the issue facing employers is not a lack of jobs: it is a lack of people studying skilled trades.

Trade Tracks hopes to address that with its hands-on skilled trades and career exploration event at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex.

The event runs May 22 from 10am to 4pm and May 23 from 10am to 2pm.

It includes employers, educators and more than 2,000 students in an interactive outdoor environment. 

Trade Tracks focuses on engagement over information, allowing students to operate equipment, interact with professionals and gain a real understanding of the work.

It addresses a critical gap –  while training systems and employment opportunities exist, early-stage awareness, exposure and connection remain limited, officials say.

And while labour shortages have become widely recognized across industry, Trade Tracks moves beyond awareness and toward solutions.

“Everyone sees the shortage,” said Trade Tracks CEO Carl Gray in a press release. 

“It’s talked about in boardrooms, job sites, classrooms and government reports. The problem now is not visibility of the issue, it’s action. We need to build real pathways that connect young people to these careers.”

According to the 2026 EmployerOne Survey for Waterloo Wellington Dufferin, more than half of employers reported hard-to-fill positions, with the number one reason identified as a lack of applicants. 

Meanwhile, 90 per cent of employers said they’re willing to train candidates who demonstrate interest and a strong fit within their organization.

Across Canada, labour market data shows hundreds of thousands of skilled trades workers will be needed over the next decade, driven by retirements, infrastructure demand and continued growth in construction, manufacturing, transportation and industrial sectors. 

In many trades, up to one in five workers is nearing retirement, while entry into apprenticeship remains insufficient to meet future demand.

“We don’t have a job shortage, we have a visibility and cultural awareness problem,” said Gray. “Young people are not avoiding the trades because they lack ability. They’re avoiding them because they don’t see them, and they don’t experience them early enough to understand what’s possible.”

The EmployerOne survey found that nearly half of businesses still rely on informal networks and word-of-mouth to recruit, highlighting the absence of a structured pipeline connecting students to skilled careers.

At the same time, cultural perceptions continue to influence participation. 

Some employers report that young people lack interest in hands-on work or do not see trades as viable long-term careers, a perception that Trade Tracks aims to challenge through experience.

“We need to stop treating the trades as an alternative and start recognizing them as essential,” said Gray. “These are high-skill, high-impact careers that build our communities, our infrastructure, and our economy. If we want different outcomes, we need to create different entry points.”

Trade Tracks positions itself as part of an effort to rebuild the workforce pipeline, starting with awareness, exposure, and cultural recognition and moving toward long-term engagement between students and industry.

For employers, participation offers an opportunity to:

– connect with future workforce entrants;

– showcase their industry;

– contribute to rebuilding a sustainable talent pipeline; and

– address workforce challenges. 

For students, it provides the opportunity to see, touch, and experience career pathways before making decisions that shape their future.

“The data is clear,” said Gray. “The jobs are here. The training is available. Employers are ready. The missing piece is connection, and that’s what Trade Tracks is built to provide.”

Local employers, industry partners and organizations across all sectors are encouraged to participate.

For more information visit tradetracks.net.