On this episode of The Trade Up Podcast, John is joined by Brandi Ferenc, a 313A - Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic and founder of Fair Trades Toolbox.

As a woman journeyperson in a male dominated sector - HVAC - Brandi knows the barriers women still face on the job. Now, she works with companies to help improve things for women AND men in skilled trades. Brandi has been named one of Canada's 100 Most Powerful Women for the past two years.

On this episode of The Trade Up Podcast, Lisa Brandt gets John Finan's thoughts about pre-apprenticeships and the best way to get into a trade if you can't secure an apprenticeship. Also, the barriers to getting experience, and when it is and isn’t worth going to college for a trade.

John also weighs in on how far new federal money will go that's been earmarked to prop up skilled trades.

George Vassallo is the CEO of one of Canada's oldest construction firms - Bothwell-Accurate. He wondered if other countries had better ways of preparing a skilled workforce, so he went on a multi-country tour to find out.

He shares what he learned from his tour and from growing his business, with John Finan on this episode of The Trade Up Podcast.

On this episode of The Trade Up Podcast, Lisa Brandt gets John Finan's thoughts on why there are more sign-ups for trades than in the past ten years, but certification numbers are low. Also, should we worry that Alberta is trying to poach skilled Ontario journeypeople? And John and Lisa share lessons they learned from their Dads about life and business.

On this episode of The Trade Up Podcast, John chats with Whitney South about her unique career transition from journalism & photography into welding.

On this episode of The Trade Up Podcast, John & Lisa chat about how they were inspired to write a book about how young people can find a pathway to a career in the trades.

About TRADE UP: Why buy a job when you can start a career?

Gone are the days of working an entire career - 40 hours a week for 40 years - doing the same type of work for the same company.

Today's young people want something different. They want more. They're highly educated, talented, and looking to take on new challenges every few years. But their ambitions are being squashed by massive amounts of student debt.

Trade Up explores a better way of looking at education. It lays out a strategy for young people to obtain great paying careers with variety and endless opportunities, without accumulating crippling student debt.

To learn more about the book, visit TradeUpBook.ca