Broaden your career horizons where inspiring opportunities abound. Schools and colleges in Winnipeg, Manitoba offer fantastic training options for many of the province's flourishing industries. They can enable you to live and work in one of Canada's most affordable and environmentally progressive regions.
7 of the Best Manitoba Industries for Pursuing a New Career
For a province with so much pristine open space and fewer than two million residents, Manitoba has a surprising number of thriving job sectors—as well as some that offer tremendous potential. Here are seven that are especially worth looking into:
1. Healthcare and Community Assistance
With about 28,000 workers, the Winnipeg Health Region is Manitoba's largest employer.*** But healthcare professionals enjoy gratifying careers throughout the whole province. In fact, the entire sector employed a total of 96,800 people in 2011—an increase of more than 40 percent from a decade earlier.**
As the province's residents continue getting older, the demand for health and social services will likely continue on that upward trend. As a result, so will the need for well-qualified workers. Many colleges in Winnipeg understand this, which is why they offer practical training programs in multiple health-related fields.
2. Business and Financial Services
Manitoba is home to over 38,700 employer businesses.**** More than a few of those companies are leaders in Canada's financial sector. From insurance corporations to investment and leasing firms, potential employers for those with administrative, business, or accounting skills are numerous. In Winnipeg alone, more than 76,000 people have such a career.*
But, of course, the region's business variety goes well beyond the financial industry. People who offer other professional services—like graphic design or legal assisting, for example—can also find plenty of opportunities.
3. Technology
More than 1,500 communications- and technology-related companies operate in the province. About eight in 10 of them are in Winnipeg.* And they specialize in more than just areas like computers or high-tech networking. Some of them focus on other fun and fascinating fields that you might not, at first, associate with Manitoba.
For instance, gaming and digital media companies have experienced explosive growth. From 2007 to 2010, the revenues generated by the region's gaming industry increased by more than 850 percent. Many of those companies now thrive alongside well-known tech giants like IBM and HP that also have operations within the province.*
4. Renewable Energy
Manitoba is already considered a world leader in sustainable energy production. But this sector could offer tons of additional career potential in the years ahead. Just look at what's been accomplished or is being planned:
- More than 97 percent of the province's electricity comes from clean hydro power.†
- Manitoba is ranked number one in Canada for energy efficiency.*
- Winnipeg is globally recognized for having some of the world's most efficient buildings.
- The province supports a lot of biofuel development and hydrogen fuel technology research. It is also home to a leading maker of hybrid and alternative fuel buses.
- Manitoba has aspirations to aggressively develop and increase its capacity for generating and exporting clean energy from wind, solar, geothermal, and other sustainable sources.
It all points to the possible creation of many new environmentally friendly jobs in the utilities and manufacturing industries, which, together, already employ tens of thousands of Manitobans.
5. Travel and Tourism
This part of Canada is rich with natural wonders and outdoor recreational options. People come to see polar bears in their true habitat. They come to snorkel with beluga whales. They come to gaze at the Northern Lights. And that's just in the uppermost part of the province.
Aside from all of the great eco-tourism in the north, Manitoba also has millions of acres of parkland, about 100,000 lakes, a number of fascinating historic landmarks, hundreds of annual festivals, and plenty of other compelling attractions.*
With the tourism industry accounting for 2.8 percent of the province's GDP, it still has a lot of room to grow.‡ In fact, Manitoba is reaching out to new international markets to attract even more foreign visitors. And that could mean additional opportunities for people with skills related to operating guided tours, organizing events, planning travel itineraries, and accommodating or entertaining those new visitors.
6. Aerospace
Manitoba's aviation services industry is considered the largest in Western Canada. It directly employs over 5,000 people. And it generated more than $1.6 billion in revenues in 2015. Aside from manufacturing, many of the companies in this sector perform repairs or complete aircraft overhauls for hundreds of international clients.*
7. Construction
In the years to come, employment of skilled tradespeople could increase significantly within the region. That's because the provincial government has developed a $5.5-billion plan to address the need for fixing and expanding upon its infrastructure, which includes things like flood protection projects, roads, and bridges.*
How to Get Started
The best way to start making your career happen is to get an education designed specifically for that purpose. So begin today by finding the career colleges in Manitoba that are ready to help you. Simply use your postal code to discover nearby schools right now!
* Province of Manitoba, website last accessed on October 21, 2016.
** Statistics Canada, website last accessed on October 21, 2016.
*** Winnipeg Health Region, website last accessed on January 4, 2018.
**** Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Key Small Business Statistics: June 2016, website last visited on April 7, 2017.
† The Climate Group, website last accessed on October 21, 2016.
‡ Travel Manitoba, website last accessed on October 21, 2016.