Sheridan's Magna School of Skilled Trades goes back to its roots with new associate dean

It took almost two decades for Dev Baichan’s life to come full circle. Eighteen years after graduating from Sheridan (Tool and Die Maker, 2007), Baichan landed back at the College this summer as the new Associate Dean of the Magna School for the Skilled Trades. 

He is the first to tell you that the path he took to get here may not be the one you’d expect — taking him from college to the shop floor and then on to industry outreach. After that he worked on apprentice-training standards before heading into postsecondary education. There were even a pair of university stops along the way, one where Baichan obtained his Masters of Business Administration from Queen’s University. It’s a journey he is proud of and eager to share so that others who are interested in the skilled trades can see all the options that are open to them. 

“The trades can lead to so many doors,” he says. “If you want to be a tradesperson and you want to have a 30- or 40-year career as a millwright or electrician, you can do that.  “You want to open your own business, be an entrepreneur? You can do that. You want to get into education, be a tech teacher at high school? You want to work at a college? You can do that. You want to work in the government (in training and certification)? You can do that as well.” 

Baichan says the average age of an apprentice in the skilled trades in Ontario is 30. It’s a number he’d like to see come down, especially at a time when one in six job openings in Ontario in 2026 is expected to be in the skilled trades.  

“There is a stigma against the trades,” he says. “I’ve gone to the open houses or the college fair and have seen the students who want to come ask questions, and then parents literally put their hands on their shoulders and steer them away.” 

Baichan knows this story all too well. Coming from a family of tradespeople he was keen to work with his hands out of high school, though his parents wanted him to go to university.  

“I was 24 years old. When my friends were coming out of university with $100,000 of debt. I was making close to $100,000.”

– Dev Baichan

“As an 18-year-old, I knew I wasn't mature enough to go to university. I just knew it. I didn’t think I had the discipline to be successful,” he says. “But I'll tell you something. Going through an apprenticeship, it's like serving a stint in the military. You learn that discipline real quick. Our shift started at 6:30 a.m. It doesn't mean you're clocking in at 6:30. It means that you're changed, you're ready to go, you're at your workstation, ready to get briefed on the challenge for the day at 6:30.” 

What some parents may not understand is how financially rewarding working in the skilled trades can be. 

“Even way back then, starting out making around $50,000 … after six years, my salary was 75, but with overtime I was at 100,” he says. “I was 24 years old. When my friends were coming out of university with $100,000 of debt. I was making close to $100,000.”

Now he is back where it all started, dedicated to educating the next generation about the opportunities that the skilled trades can offer.

“I want to showcase what a successful career in the trades can be. My goal is to continue to elevate the status of trades.” 

And that means creating opportunities for everyone. 

“Promoting diversity has been a big part of my career," says Baichan. “I understand the business mindset that if we are all similar, we are only going to have a certain perspective. So, the more diversity, different types of personalities, different trains of thought, different ways of seeing and approaching challenges, you’re going to get more perspectives and maybe a better result.”

Improving diversity in the trades would also go a long way to getting the average age of apprentices down from 30. Baichan would encourage anyone who’s been thinking about pursuing a trade, even as a second career, learn more about it. 

“Why wait?" he says.

Photos: Dev Baichan as a Tool and Die Maker apprentice, around 2008 (top right), current headshot (bottom left).

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