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March 13, 2025
About one per cent of young adults aged 25 to 34 have left Manitoba every year since 1986, leading to a loss of over 23,000 in the last decade alone. That’s a number that exceeds the count of young people who are arriving in Manitoba.
The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce sought to find out why youth are leaving the province by administering a research project through the Canada West Foundation. The findings of that research are published in their report Finding Their Place: Manitoba youth mobility.
One significant factor identified in the report was employment. The report states that youth (aged 15-34) identified opportunities for career advancement, better benefits, flexible hours, remote work, and more vacation as reasons they would consider leaving Manitoba for a job.
Educational institutions like MITT can be part of the solution to retaining youth and bolstering the workforce. The college can help equip young people with the skills they need to get competitive jobs that offer the benefits they seek.
Through initiatives with industry, sector councils, and industry associations, Manitoba can take significant strides to make the province an attractive place to stay and work.
MITT’s Bev Stuart, Vice President of Business Development and Community Initiatives and Chuck Davidson, President and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, shared ideas for immediate results and long-term change.
Career-talk in the K-12 classroom
Davidson says that part of preventing future youth mobility is projecting what gaps will exist in the workforce in the next 5 to 10 years and tailoring educational programming to anticipate these gaps, rather than react to labour shortages as they occur. One way to start this process is with career exposure to students as young as kindergarten.
“We need to collaborate with key stakeholders to create more age-appropriate opportunities for young people to learn about a variety of careers that will be essential in the future,” said Davidson.
Put simply, young people can’t know they want to be a CAD technician if they don’t know what a CAD technician is.
Organizations like CareerTrek lead this area with their Wonder of Work program that connects Grade 5 and 6 students with hands-on experiences in the workplace or post-secondary institutions to encourage career exploration. MITT recently welcomed a group of students who engaged in activities related to Culinary Arts and Design, CAD Technician, Automotive Technician, and Industrial Welding programs.
Creating early opportunities for learning in the specific industries that will experience future shortages is key.
Both skilled trades and IT fall into this space, and Pembina Trails School Division and MITT have created a unique partnership to prepare students for these fields. The Pembina Trails Early College (PTEC) program connects students interested in technology with potential career paths in IT from an early age and at no cost to the student.
This program provides students with hands-on technical education and upon graduation, they receive their high school diploma and an MITT certificate as a software developer or cloud and network technician. By completing one more term at MITT, plus a practicum, they earn a diploma in their specialization. That means that before they reach 20, these students are equipped to start their careers.
More programs like this are needed to develop pathways for students, provide them with connections to the industry, and create opportunities to foster relationships that help them in their careers – as Stuart notes, “it takes a community to raise a worker.”
Making trades the first choice
Demand for skilled tradespeople continues throughout Canada, including in Manitoba. Skilled trades offer stable, well-paying opportunities with career advancement, making it a strong field for young people to consider.
MITT’s post-secondary programs respond to this need and are created with employment in mind. Nearly all 2023 graduates reported that their program and the skills they acquired help them in their day-to-day work.
Additionally, MITT’s programs help students join the workforce quickly; 39 per cent of recent grads found their current job while they were still in their program, and 22 per cent found their current job within a month of graduation.
Of those grads, a third of them obtained their first job at their work practicum placement, demonstrating how industry partnerships allow students to make connections and set them up for success after graduation.
As part of the survey, graduates were asked how likely they were to remain in Manitoba within the next five years. Nearly 88 per cent indicated they were likely to stay in the province, illustrating that when individuals feel secure in their skills, abilities, and career prospects, they are less inclined to leave Manitoba in search of opportunities elsewhere, especially when they are already connected within their field.
Changing perspectives
Education can only do so much to address migration. Public perception of living in Manitoba plays a role in retaining and attracting people to the province.
“Manitoba is cooler than you think” — that’s the through-line of the report, and it’s true.
Davidson noted, “We need to change the conversation about living in Manitoba. We need to champion our province and tell our story; tell the story of the companies that exist here.”
“Manitoba is filled with world-class businesses,” said Stuart. “From Churchill to Morden and Brandon to Steinbach, everywhere in our province there are amazing companies in so many industries.”
There is lots about Manitoba that can get young people excited about living and working in our province, and competitive opportunities in industries like manufacturing, technology, aerospace, agriculture, and more is just a start.
