A trade is a respectable career option

I am involved in training and have been so for more than a decade yet, I am so concerned with the prevalence of the high school system to only pursue tertiary education as a pancrea for all career options. High school guidance councilors only focus on university placements to the detriment of technical trades - this is really bad advice.

Many university graduates are saddled with high education debts to pay off when they finally get working - many not in their chosen career. Even worse, students drop out without finishing a bachelor degree but still racking up significant university debts.

Notwithstanding, students may complete a degree, find themselves unemployable in their field of study so they either undertake a double degree or they may undertake a masters degree in a totally different area without first gaining any quality workplace experience.

Trade-based training on the other hand sees apprentices paid whilst attending college with many employers paying tuition fees for students. Trades such as mechanics, welders, machinists, mechanical fitters and electricians are skill-sets in high demand.

With technology dominating industries including agriculture, manufacturing, mineral extraction, mineral processing, oil and gas exploration and petrochemical processing; these industries are basing their operations on productivity increases from the adaptation of technologies.

Whilst Donald Trump campaigned on a platform of protecting American jobs from outsourcing to low wage countries, the greatest threat arises from automation.

Yes, manufacturing based jobs from advanced industrial economies such as the United States, Australia, Germany, France, Canada, Italy and the United Kingdom are being sent off-shore to developing nations of China, Mexico, Bangladesh, India and the Philippines to name just a few.

However, the greatest threat comes from technological advances that are replacing jobs throughout the developed world. However, automation must be maintained, faults diagnosed and break-downs repaired - that is where the jobs are found.