Canada has a shortage of tradespeople that will worsen this decade unless educators, employers, and policymakers respond, according to a recent report by the Royal Bank of Canada. “Powering Up: Preparing Canada’s skilled trades for a post-pandemic economy,” says the nation is on pace to be 100,000 tradespeople short within five years. The 56 Red Seal trades, industrial mechanics, welders, and boilermakers are already in short supply, and by 2028, 700,000 tradespeople are expected to retire. “Educators, employers and policymakers will need to address chronic problems in the trades pipeline, tap into underused pools of talent, and address a widening digital skills gap amid rapid technological advances in the workplace,” states the report. Jayson Myers, CEO of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (N-Gen) who was quoted in the report, told The Epoch Times that better direction in high school would result in more tradespeople. “We’re losing a lot of people, a …