Canada is experiencing a serious shortage of skilled workers: electricians, welders, mechanics and others. Construction projects across the country are stalled because there aren't enough carpenters and HVAC technicians. About 700,000 of Canada’s four million trades workers are set to retire by the end of the decade, which means if we don’t recruit more, fast, the situation will get worse.

Despite this shortage, college enrolment in the under-20 age group has gone down in recent years. Parents and high school guidance counsellors often discourage students from thinking about a college education as a first choice—instead, it becomes a backup for teens who don’t have the marks to get into universities. Many young people only discover the value of a college program later in life. Increasingly, Canadians in their 30s who have already earned university degrees see college as a way to acquire the skills they need to unlock their professional potential.

Students who decide to make college part of their future have an enormous number of options at more than 130 community colleges and institutes across Canada. The best place to start exploring the wide array of opportunities? The Maclean’s Ultimate Guide to Canadian Colleges—a special issue of Maclean’s designed for everyone considering a college education that can be ordered online here.

Our editors and writers answer practical questions (about applications, budgeting and scholarships), provide info on in-demand programs (in hot fields such as AI, sustainable construction and e-sports) and profile the top colleges in every region in the country. It’s essential reading for the workforce of tomorrow.

—Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief

After moving from Brazil to Toronto, former automotive marketer Flavia Campelo Michelstadter enrolled in George Brown College’s two-year culinary management diploma. It taught her everything she needed to know to be a chef: how to work with flavours, how to prepare large amounts of food and the ins and outs of catering. “It can be scary to try something new. But going back to college and completing the culinary management program gave me the courage to confidently call myself ‘chef,’ ” she writes. Here’s how college helped her and other students find the work they love.

A shortage of skilled labour means governments are doing everything they can to attract workers—including providing free training. For anyone planning their next chapter, the need for infrastructure presents an opportunity to land a well-paying job and play a role in building the country for the next generation.

John Hoffman grew up in Calgary, and launched his career in animation after attending Sheridan College in Toronto. He’s worked on many well-known animated films, like Anastasia, Titan A.E. and Cars 3. Most recently, he was the story supervisor on Pixar’s Inside Out 2, helping to craft the movie’s arc and building individual character’s narratives. His advice to students: work hard and keep going after your dreams.  “If I can get here,” he writes, “anyone can.”

These six areas of study practically guarantee a hire—and help create a better future for the country, too.

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