How Verisk and Humber Polytech Are Bridging the Restoration Skills Gap

April 14, 2025 / 3 min read

The challenge we face together

When disaster strikes, communities need qualified restoration professionals to rebuild—but our industry currently struggles with a serious shortage of qualified workers. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent and severe, we simply don’t have enough trained professionals to meet the growing demand.

Verisk’s partnership with Humber Polytechnic’s Longo Faculty of Business adds Xactimate^® training to their Disaster Recovery Manager program, taking aim at this specific challenge. We’re joining practical industry tools with specialized education to open career paths for restoration professionals when communities need them most.

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The growing skills shortage in restoration

Many restoration operations are likely feeling this shortage. When experienced professionals retire, they leave with hands-on knowledge that is difficult to replace:

Canada needs at least 10,000 workers in Red Seal trades over the next five years^[1], a number that jumps to more than 100,000 when including provincially regulated trades^[2].
In the U.S., construction companies had roughly 600,000 unfilled positions in 2019, a number expected to rise to 747,000 by 2026.^[3]
Restoration companies face particularly tough hiring challenges because of the specialized expertise required.

These numbers directly affect companies’ bottom line and their ability to help communities at their most vulnerable.

Why current education misses the mark

This problem began in the 1980s when schools started phasing out shop classes and vocational training to emphasize STEM subjects and preparation for four-year college degrees.³ This shift created lasting misconceptions about trades careers, diverting talented students away from these essential fields.

Despite strong demand for skilled tradespeople, North America’s training system hasn’t kept pace. In Canada, apprenticeship sign-ups have increased—reaching 81,141 in 2022, up about 12% from 2021 and the highest since 2014^[4]—but still fall short of what’s needed. The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum predicts a shortfall of more than 60,000 registered apprentices by 2025²—a sign of the mismatch between training programs and actual industry demands. Similar patterns are playing out in the United States as well.

Restoration work isn’t just construction—it requires distinct expertise in:

Understanding insurance documentation and processes
Applying disaster-specific building codes
Mastering environmental remediation techniques
Executing swift, effective emergency response methods

Conventional construction programs rarely cover these specialized skills, leaving a crucial gap in workforce preparation.

The Verisk-Humber partnership: Building the future workforce

In response to these challenges, Verisk has joined with Humber Polytechnic’s Longo Faculty of Business to enhance their Disaster Recovery Manager (DRM) certificate program. Our joint effort tackles the talent shortage through:

Practical training on Xactimate and XactAnalysis^®—the actual tools used daily by the majority of restoration companies
Real-world exercises using the software to power operations
Xactimate Level 1 certification alongside their academic credentials
Emphasis on job-ready skills based on actual restoration scenarios

This polytechnic approach blends essential theory with practical skills businesses need, preparing graduates to be productive team members from their first day on the job.

Real-world benefits beyond graduation

What this means for restoration businesses:

Ready access to job-ready professionals trained on industry-standard tools
Lower costs for recruitment and on-the-job training
Higher quality service delivery and happier clients
Better business outcomes through a better-prepared workforce

What this offers students and career-changers:

Good pay without the heavy debt of a four-year degree
Clear path to financial security and career advancement
Purpose-driven work helping rebuild communities after disasters
Valuable credentials that immediately boost employment prospects

For communities facing disaster, this program means having trained restoration professionals ready to help with recovery efforts. Communities benefit from faster rebuilding, reduced disruption, and quicker returns to normalcy. And this program helps position restoration professionals as essential first responders who help rebuild both physical structures and community stability.

Working toward a more resilient future

As natural disasters become more common, the demand for skilled restoration professionals will continue to grow. By investing in specialized education today, we’re helping build the workforce needed to address tomorrow’s challenges.

Learn more about training options for Xactware solutions.

Learn more

[1] Dominic Troiano, "The Skilled Trades Crisis: Why Businesses in the U.S. and Canada Are Struggling to Hire," Remodelers Advantage, published February 25, 2025, accessed March 20, 2025, https://remodelersadvantage.com/the-skilled-trades-crisis/.

[2] Royal Bank of Canada, "Powering Up: Preparing Canada's skilled trades for a post-pandemic economy," RBC Thought Leadership, published September 2021, accessed March 20, 2025, https://thoughtleadership.rbc.com/wp-content/uploads/Skilled-Trades-Report.pdf.

[3] Ben Preston, "Lack of Vocational Training Leads to Construction Labor Shortage," ConstructConnect Blog, published November 26, 2019, accessed March 20, 2025, https://www.constructconnect.com/blog/lack-of-vocational-training-leads-to-construction-labor-shortage.

[4] Paula Duhatschek, "Canada needs carpenters, electricians and other skilled trades — and enrolment for apprenticeships is surging," CBC News, published February 9, 2024, updated February 12, 2024, accessed March 20, 2025, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canada-apprenticeships-certification-1.7108158.