It’s clear Canada needs more houses, but who will build them—and how—is less apparent. The federal government’s budget includes a plan to build roughly 500,000 new homes a year until 2031; meanwhile, our current rate of construction is only half that amount. With a wave of retirements looming over the construction industry, there’s an urgent need for new skilled workers to meet rising demand.

Building construction technicians will be an important part of the home-building fabric. Whether they’re coordinating projects, inspecting buildings or drafting construction plans, students in these programs develop a number of useful skills to help build Canada’s new wave of housing.

College diplomas in building construction technology, sometimes called construction engineering technology, prepare students for an industry that’s hiring in droves. These two- to three-year programs offer a blend of hands-on and theoretical training in construction, materials, cost........

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