Holmes Foundation: Supporting next generation of tradespeople

Contractor Mike Holmes, host of HGTV's Holmes on Homes, has started a foundation that plans to partner with schools, businesses and governments to raise the profile and reputation of all skilled trades in Canada.

As host of HGTV's Holmes on Homes, contractor Mike Holmes repairs shoddy renovations and warns homeowners about incompetent and unscrupulous contractors. But when this popular fix-it guy came across a house left uninhabitable and unsafe, he was moved to do more.

For the first time, his team felt it would be more practical to tear down and rebuild a home rather than attempt to repair the damage done. A contractor reportedly received almost $220,000 on a $200,000 contract and put a lien on the house for more than twice the amount of the original contract.

The "Lien on Me" project will be featured on a two-hour special, to be broadcast on HGTV Canada. It put in motion Holmes' dream of establishing a national foundation he hopes will change the building and renovation industry in Canada.

The Holmes Foundation is a charitable foundation that will assist Canadians who need help or resources after botched renovations. It will also support the training of the next generation of skilled tradespeople through apprenticeships, scholarships and bursaries.

Though still in its infancy stage, the foundation plans to partner with schools, businesses and governments to raise the profile and reputation of all skilled trades in Canada. It will use funds collected on Lien on Me Day, a fundraiser held at Home Depot stores last month, to establish scholarships.

"We will announce how they will work later this fall," says Ingrid van Weert, the foundation's executive director. "We will continue to help people who have been hurt by contractors. Mike is frustrated by the renovation and new home building industries, but to change the industry, you have to get more qualified tradespeople. The situation is bad now, but will get worse as Baby Boomers retire."

According to the foundation, spending on homes renovations in Canada has topped $2.5 billion per month and 65% of Canadians plan to renovate their homes in the next year. But without skilled tradespeople, there will be long waits for help and plenty of incentive for incompetent and unethical contractors to stay in business, Holmes fears.

Much good work is already being done to attract people to the trades. Van Weert points to the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program and Skills Canada as two examples. "We don't want to reinvent the wheel; furthermore, they're good at it," she says of those efforts.

One of the greatest challenges the industry faces is finding qualified employers to take on apprentices. "People are looking for employers," van Weert says. "To help meet that need, we have to change the attitude among parents, teachers and government.

"We used to get a lot of skilled tradespeople from Europe ... where it is seen as a social obligation (to train the next generation of tradespeople). That's not happening anymore. Here, (training apprentices) is seen as a burden and there's a lot of poaching. It's an attitude that has to change. We want our youth to be trained well."

There's a perception that it costs a lot of money to train an apprentice, but van Weert points to a study by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (www.caf-fca.org) that dispels that myth. "Employers can earn money from their apprentices," she says.

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MAKE IT RIGHT

The Holmes Foundation was launched in April 2006. Its mission is to ensure that all residential renovation and construction in Canada is done right the first time.

It will also support the training of the next generation of skilled tradespeople through apprenticeships, scholarships and bursaries.

To learn more, visit www.holmesonhomes.com.

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