Sunday, April 29, 2018

More Funds for Apprenticeship Training

The federal government is boosting its commitment to the skilled trades. One of the highlights of the February budget was $20 million to help increase the number of women in male-dominated trades.

“There is a substantial gender gap in apprenticeship training, with women accounting for only 11 per cent of new registrants in inter-provincially recognized Red Seal skilled trades,” the budget document stated. The Red Seal program is Canada’s standard of excellence for skilled trades.

Women training in male-dominated trades will be eligible for the new Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women. It will pay them $3,000 in each of their first two years of training. An existing $2,000 apprenticeship completion grant will still be available, for a total of $8,000 in support.

A preapprenticeship program will encourage more people to “develop the skills needed to find and keep good, well-paying jobs in the trades,” the budget document says. That program will receive $46 million over the next five years, with another $10 million per year after that. The program is offered in partnership with the provinces, post-secondary institutions, unions, and employers.

Ottawa will also spend almost $18 million over five years to encourage more women to train for construction jobs, and to help vulnerable people—including Indigenous peoples, newcomers, and people with disabilities—access government funding for training.

More Funds for Apprenticeship Training

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