You need more apprenticeships here

Morning from the Hub of the North — here's what matters in Thompson today.

You know, sometimes the news out of Winnipeg just hits different up here. There's a story making the rounds about how Ottawa's six-billion-dollar push to get more people into trades isn't enough for Manitoba colleges. They're saying we need more actual apprenticeships, not just recruitment drives. And honestly, that's a truth we feel pretty sharply from the Burntwood River all the way to Mystery Lake.

The Vale operations here have always been a backbone for trades, but Thompson isn't just about mining anymore. We're talking about diversifying, building up other industries, keeping our young people here instead of watching them head south. If University College of the North is seeing this gap, imagine what it means for every shop from the industrial park to the commercial centres along Mystery Lake Road.

* **The Core Problem:** Colleges aren't seeing enough actual, paid apprenticeship spots.

* **The Thompson Angle:** We need skilled trades across the board, whether it's for new cold-weather testing facilities, maintaining our infrastructure, or supporting the growing service industry that supports 60,000 people across northern Manitoba.

* **The "So What":** Without those hands-on training opportunities, all the recruitment in the world won't keep our young people here, building the future of Thompson. We talk about needing to grow, but growth demands people who can build and fix things.

This isn't just a Winnipeg problem; it’s a provincial one that ripples directly to communities like ours. We need to be able to train our own, right here.

Marla Spence, MiTL Sports Desk, Thompson.

You can hear Keith and the crew dig into this every morning, live at mornings.live.