Saturday, December 4, 2021

Latest Funding for Skilled Trades an Investment in Ontario’s Future

The Ontario government’s $90 million investment in the promotion of Ontario’s skilled trades will help to counteract the sector’s shrinking worker pool and protect those who depend on the industry for their future financial health. The funds, applied over the course of three years, come in addition to a $2.9 million boost to the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, which brings the government’s contributions to a total of $20 million annually.

Young people should consider entering the skilled trades, both for the health and vitality of Ontario’s economy and for their own prosperity. As the worker pool shrinks, the demand for highly trained, devoted individuals to fill the positions vacated by retiring workers becomes all the more necessary. Encouraging those on the cusp of their careers to consider the trades is the right move for Ontarians, the construction companies that support industries of all types, and the province at large.

These funds, along with the funds announced earlier this year to help increase the number of apprentices in underrepresented groups, will help prevent the worker shortage that has long been predicted. CLAC sees this as a positive step in protecting jobs not only in the construction sector but in all sectors that rely on the labour provided by those in the skilled trades.

According to a media release from the Ontario government, by 2025 the province will face a shortage of 100,000 skilled trades workers. It is also estimated that though one in five jobs in Ontario will be in the skilled trades at that time, around one third of tradespeople will be facing retirement.

Latest Funding for Skilled Trades an Investment in Ontario’s Future

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