Grainswest - Tech 2022

Tech 2022 Grains West 28 FEATURE D espite above-average wages and rewarding work environments, the trades sector has long suffered the undeserved reputation as a last chance career choice. This inaccurate perception has hindered intake within the uniquely niche designation of agricultural mechanic. As a result, the ag sector is reckoning with scarcity of these skilled workers. Despite strong job prospects, agmechanics are in high demand BY TREVOR BACQUE PHOTOS BY SERGEI BELSKI HELP WANTED The North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA) represents 4,000 dealers across Canada and the United States. This includes 400 in Western Canada, which alone is down about 1,000 Red Seal ag mechanics. Eastern Canada and the U.S. are staring down the same grim predicament. For the last number of years Canadian agriculture experienced a simple labour shortage, but the situation has changed. “When you talk to producers, they’d say, ‘I just need a body, I just need a body.’ Now, it’s not just a labour shortage, there’s a skill shortage. The people we do have don’t have the skills required for the jobs that we need to fill,” said Jade Reeve, manager of the agri-jobs and agri-skills program at the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council (CAHRC) in Ottawa, ON.