Thank you, Madam Speaker. I want to talk about the trades and, more specifically, apprenticeships. With an aging workforce and people leaving the trades, the demand and competition for skilled trades workers will only increase. I see this currently happening not only in Hay River, but throughout the NWT.
In the digital age, the ways we work, communicate, and utilize technology are changing at a swift pace. The use of high-tech equipment in different sectors of the economy requires that trades workers possess strong essential skills in literacy and mathematics. This change in technology is becoming increasingly noticeable in our communities, which are receiving energy-efficient homes, state-of-the-art water and sewer treatment plants, solar options for power; all those are associated with high-tech equipment requiring technical expertise to maintain and operate.
Madam Speaker, in the Northwest Territories, we have many workers who, over time, have gained a wealth of experience in the trades. The problem is that the opportunity for work in the NWT is sporadic and, in many instances, short-term or seasonal, the result of employers not willing to undertake the effort, cost, and time it takes to recruit, train, and develop apprentices. The consequence is that the employee does not receive the recognition for the hours of work and training they received while on the job. Furthermore, today's employers are expected to be social workers, psychologists, therapists, counsellors, and bankers for its employees, which all results in added costs to the bottom line. Today's apprentices need more than on-the-job and technical skills. They require skills that include judgment, common sense, adaptability, initiative, dependability, responsibility, attitude, and safety consciousness.
The question is: how are we going to replace the aging workforce when we have all this going on? There is no easy answer, but we can start by providing access to a quality education for our residents. We can strive to develop a sustainable economy that promotes full-time employment opportunities. We must recognize that the mindset of the workforce is changing, and we must adapt to that change. We must reconsider legislation that impedes business through red tape. We must provide support to our small businesses as they are most often ground zero for those looking to enter the trades.
Madam Speaker, the trades can provide exciting and rewarding careers in terms of challenges and financial return, and I strongly encourage our youth to seriously look at this as a career choice. Thank you, Madam Speaker.