Episode #76: Breaking Profession Prejudice: The Real Value of Skills Training with MP Garnett Genuis
MP Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for Employment, joins host Michael Sangster to tackle Canada's youth unemployment crisis and reveal why career colleges are essential to closing the nation's skills gap. This conversation goes beyond politics to explore how training systems can—and must—evolve to meet labour market demands, the hidden costs of "profession prejudice," and why every job deserves dignity and respect.
5 Reasons You Should Listen
Discover the real drivers behind youth unemployment – Learn how immigration policy, training misalignment, and economic factors create barriers for young workers, plus specific policy solutions being proposed to address these systemic issues.
Understand the 80% employment success rate – Hear about groundbreaking research showing career college graduates find work directly related to their training at rates traditional universities can't match, revealing what makes skills-focused education so effective.
Learn about policy changes affecting student aid – Get the inside story on Budget 2024's proposal to eliminate student grants for private institutions and why this could hurt the very programs training workers in high-demand fields like nursing and healthcare.
Explore how to match training with real job opportunities – Gain insights into the geography gaps, skills mismatches, and credential recognition challenges preventing qualified workers from filling available positions across Canada.
Rethink what makes a "good" career – Challenge assumptions about university versus trades through powerful stories about personal support workers, skilled tradespeople, and the philosophy that all work—when done with creativity and passion—deserves equal respect.
04:00 — When Three Siblings Choose the Same Path
06:00 — The 80% Employment Rate Universities Can't Match
11:00 — Navigating the Student Grant Changes Ahead
18:00 — The Weekly Flight from Newfoundland to Alberta
21:00 — Training Canadians to Cook Specialized Cuisine
26:00 — What a Doctor Taught His Politician Son
30:00 — The Plumber with a Physician's Passion