Ontario launches fund to upgrade trades training facilities

Key Takeaways:

• Ontario will spend $224M to build and upgrade trades training centres.
• The fund will be available to unions, Indigenous centres, and industry associations.
• Officials will also spend $535,000 to launch two innovative projects that will expand apprenticeship opportunities to future boilermakers in Northern Ontario.

The Whole Story:

Ontario is launching a new fund build and upgrade skilled trades training centres. 

The province believes the $224 million fund will help tackle its historic labour shortage. 

Applications for the new Skills Development Fund (SDF) Capital Stream open on June 30. It will help unions, Indigenous centres, and industry associations with funding to build new training centres, or upgrade and convert existing facilities into new training centres with state-of-the-art equipment and technology.

“This new program will help boost the province’s training infrastructure, providing more people opportunities to learn new skills and advance their careers into good-paying, in-demand jobs,” said Premier Doug Ford. “We’re taking the steps needed to create a bigger pipeline of talent to ensure we continue to have the best workforce in the world to keep attracting investments and to build Ontario.”

According to the province, roughly 300,000 jobs are going unfilled in Ontario each day, costing the province billions in lost productivity. The new capital stream will be open to a wide range of applicants in in-demand industries and support facility expansions, renovations, repairs and retrofits, and new building construction. Officials expected these improved training centres to help more than one million workers get the training.

“Ontario is facing the largest labour shortage in a generation, and our government is on a mission to help workers train for the well-paying jobs we know are available,” said Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development. “We will continue to invest in innovative training programs and ground-breaking infrastructure to prepare jobseekers in every corner of our province for the future of work.”

In addition, the Ontario government is investing $535,000 through the SDF program to launch two innovative projects that will expand apprenticeship opportunities to future boilermakers in Northern Ontario and across the province. Led by the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 128, these free programs will provide 1,350 participants with the opportunity to explore rewarding careers as boilermakers, which can pay up to $38 an hour.

“Our government is proud to invest in new funding to build, upgrade and convert training centres across the province. Investing in these training centres is crucial to building a stronger Ontario by getting workers trained and into the workforce,” said Kinga Surma, minister of infrastructure. “By empowering individuals with the skills and knowledge to master their crafts, we are creating a future of innovation, and economic prosperity. As we continue to invest in critical infrastructure, these trained workers will be helping build Ontario for generations to come.”

The first project will give 1,200 high-school students hands-on experience with welding, cutting and rigging work and the opportunity to pursue apprenticeships in the trade. It will prioritize women, Indigenous people and others in rural Northern Ontario communities interested in learning about work in the skilled trades.

The second project will provide free lodging, travel and food for 150 new jobseekers from around the province as they begin introductory apprenticeship training. Participants will complete rigorous coursework covering rigging, working at heights and construction safety as they prepare to become boilermaker apprentices.

These two projects are funded through the existing SDF, an over $700 million initiative, which supports ground-breaking programs that connect jobseekers with the skills and training they need to find well-paying careers close to home.