In March 2021, the YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region published Trades Talent Link: Increasing Newcomer Access to Good Jobs in the Skilled Trades — a research report on why more newcomers to Canada aren't working in the skilled trades, and what can be done about it.
The project was funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) Service Delivery Improvement stream. Over its course, the team gathered:
- A literature review of skilled-trades labour market needs and newcomer settlement in Canada
- Focus groups with YMCA-YWCA clients in trades-focused career programming
- Two employer surveys — 253 respondents in 2019 and 226 in 2021
- Observation of 1,200 clients' change in perception after information sessions on skilled-trades opportunities
- An evaluation of a mentorship pilot pairing 15 mentors and mentees
Key recommendations
The findings point to action across three groups — newcomers, employers, and settlement service providers, regulators and educators — organized around three themes:
- Economic integration — coordinated settlement and employment services, mentorship programs focused on retention, and funding for barriers like child care and transportation.
- Skills & qualifications — paid work placements, employer-facing supports for assessing credentials and skills, and clearer pathways from training to hiring.
- Language acquisition — occupation-specific language training on the job, and health-and-safety training available in newcomers' first languages.
The full report includes the complete methodology, detailed findings, and the full set of recommendations for each stakeholder group.
