One of the most enduring messages from government officials these days is that great careers await in the skilled trades. Canada has a terrible track record for retaining apprentices in the skilled trades. And that means investing in the institutions that deliver skilled trades technical training. In most trades, apprentices must return to school four times for mandatory technical training blocks before they can challenge their Red Seal exam. Hannah Hunter is a policy analyst at Polytechnics Canada which represents Canada’s largest providers of skilled trades training.