In the next two decades, 40% of new jobs will be in the skilled trades and technologies. In 1998, that number was less than 20%. Many more people in the skilled trades are retiring than are entering the system. The hardest-hit industries will be manufacturing, construction, petroleum production and transportation. The Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association forecasts a 42% vacancy rate for skilled trades by 2007 -- nearly 34,000 jobs but only 20,000 skilled workers will be available. Many skilled tradespeople now make six-figure incomes with excellent benefits. 83% of respondents to a Conference Board of Canada survey indicated that they were experiencing a shortage of skilled labour. In Canada, the shortfall has been estimated at no fewer than 20,000 unfilled jobs, growing to 50,000 by the year 2010. (Information Technology Association of Canada) Skilled tool and die makers in the Windsor area -- with overtime factored in -- can quite easily average $100,000 annually. (Canadian Machinery and Metalworking, June 2000) According to Job Futures 2000, by 2007, more than one-third of jobs created in Canada will require a skilled trade designation or a college diploma.