BC Construction Jobs to be Filled by Workers from Ireland?

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Over the past few years I have run into several lads who have come from Ireland to work here in Vancouver. Some of them have told me gut wrenching stories about the economic times Ireland is facing, the reductions that were imposed on their wages, and pressures placed on their young families. Now it appears hundreds of their fellow Irishmen will be joining them.
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Yesterday the newswire was abuzz with a story about British Columbian construction employers who will be going to Ireland to fill hundreds of vacant construction jobs available in British Columbia.
If you are a trades person in Ireland or Northern Ireland you can look into the
Western Canada Construction Job Expo
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      • Oct. 31 in Belfast
      • Nov. 2 in Dublin
The lack of skills training here in B.C. has been identified as the main reason for the gap in available trades people to take these jobs. Labour leaders pointed to a lack of skills training initiatives and the government replied that skills training is one of their top priorities.
The proposed liquefied natural-gas industry, hydro-electric projects, and oil and gas pipelines planned for the province will likely increase the gap and demand for skilled workers in the province in the future.
Top 5 trades that will be recruited for in Ireland, as highlighted in the stories, are:
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      • Welders
      • Plumbers
      • Pipe-fitters
      • Carpenters
      • Millwrights
I thought you may want to know, so I looked into the average yearly salaries paid for these trade jobs in the Vancouver area. I found the following average yearly salaries when i searched Salary.com.
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  • Welders
      • Welders l … $45,596
      • Welder lll … $71,376
  • Plumbers
      • Plumbers l … $47,635
      • Plumber ll … $70,525
  • Carpenters 
      • Carpenters l … $53,025
      • Carpenters ll … $60,153
      • Carpenters lll … $61,320
  • Millwrights … $71,474
  • Pipe-fitters …  N/A
Here are some other interesting statistics being quoted along with links to original sources where you can read comments from Irish workers, Labour, Construction Organization Representatives, and Politicians.
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  • Only 18% of B.C.’s construction employers have apprenticeship programs
  • 1 in 32 high school graduates is going to pursue trades in B.C.
  • 1 in 5 high school graduates need go into the trades in order for B.C. to fill the gap
  • The Provincial government predicts there will be more than 153,000  job openings over the next decade among trades, transport, equipment operators, and related occupations

Sources:

CBC TV – http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-construction-firms-seek-workers-in-ireland-1.2055587

THE PROVINCE – http://www.theprovince.com/business/construction+industry+turns+Ireland+fill+jobs/9037569/story.html

THE TORONTO STAR – http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/10/14/bcs_construction_industry_turns_to_ireland_to_fill_jobs.html