OCS Insights: Students Discover the Construction Trades at Future Building 2019
Thousands of Students Discover Construction Trades at Future Building 2019
Between May 14 and 16, thousands of students from across Eastern Ontario descended on Ottawa for Future Building 2019. From concrete finishing to virtual reality welding to bricklaying to walking a giant iron beam, Future Building provided youth in grades 7-12 a peek into real-life scenarios and exciting opportunities within the construction sector.
Hosted by the Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS), and partnered with Employment Ontario, this year’s event featured 26 experiential and educational exhibitors with activities including demo electricial work, carpentry, and pipe fitting. Future Building, now in its 15th year, has been key in providing students with one-on-one experiences to learn about the cutting-edge technologies and opportunities in the trades. Exhibitors also provided advice and shared experiences about apprenticeships, education and earning potential in the industry.
The OCS received many positive comments by students and teachers alike. Kristine Storah, a Learning Support Teacher at Glen Cairn Public School in Kanata, says her students truly enjoyed the hands-on activities and apprenticeship information at Future Building.
“This event is a great eye-opener for my students to better understand the opportunities available in the trades. Especially for students that are kinesthetic learners, the hands-on nature of this event is fantastic. I look forward to more events like Future Building.”
A survey conducted by the OCS during Future Building also returned positive feedback. Of the students surveyed, 65% of students are now more likely to consider pursuing a career in the construction trades due to the event. Nearly 100% of students surveyed say they now have a better understanding of the construction trades and apprenticeship opportunities, with 80% of educators more likely to encourage students to pursue a construction trade career.
This year’s event also received significant media attention from outlets including the CBC, CTV, the Daily Commercial News and several trade publications. In addition, there was significant social media engagement with the hashtag “FutureBuildingON” reaching over 90,000 unique social media users.
Release of Underground Economy Report
A new report, commissioned by the Ontario Construction Secretariat, estimates that the underground economy in Ontario’s construction industry resulted in revenue losses to governments and government agencies in the range of $1.8 to $3.1 billion annually during the 2013-2017 period. This represents an increase of approximately 30 per cent over the estimated revenue losses for the 2007-2009 period ($1.4-$2.4 billion per year).
You can download the final report on the Ontario Construction Secretariat website.
2019 Annual General Meeting and Conference
The OCS’s Annual General Meeting and Conference will be held on September 25-26 in the Blue Mountain Village Conference Centre.Hotel information: Blue Mountain Resort and Westin Trillium House
- Rates (one Queen): starting at $189.00/per night
- Group name: Ontario Construction Secretariat (GB00001365)
Attendees should call Blue Mountain Inn at 1-877-445-0231 or Westin Trillium House (1-866-837-4192). Please hold the date and stay tuned for more information about this exciting event.