The first Fabtech show in Canada will take place March 20-22 at the Toronto Congress Centre, near the city’s Pearson International Airport.

Fabtech will make its first foray into Canada next week.

Organizers of the annual U.S. metal-forming and fabricating event will hold the first Canadian Fabtech show March 20-22 at the Toronto Congress Centre, near the city’s Pearson International Airport.

Attracting young people to a manufacturing-based career is a focus of the event, said Rodney Grover, senior development officer with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, which is co-sponsoring the show with the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association  and the American Welding Society.

“If we are going to maintain our strong manufacturing base, we need to find innovative ways to support and encourage students to pursue a career in manufacturing,” Grover said.

The Conference Board of Canada says 48 percent of the Canadian work force will be eligible for retirement within the next five to 10 years and that Ontario alone will need to attract an additional 350,000 workers by 2025 to meet  predicted growth, he said.

Fabtech Canada will include a trade show, panel discussions and educational seminars.

“Fabtech has an unsurpassed reputation across North America,” said Grover. “At Fabtech Canada, we’ve taken that expertise and tailored our inaugural event to suit the needs of Canada’s growing manufacturing sector, including an emphasis on attracting youth.”

A full schedule and other details on the show are here .