Thursday, November 5, 2020

Ontario Signals Strong Support for the Skilled Trades with Budget

There is much demand for workers in the skilled trades—and support and incentives for almost anyone who elects to come help build Ontario

On November 5, the province released its 2020 budget. Delayed by COVID-19, this budget covered the remaining part of the year and until March 31, 2021. While this budget is heavily focussed on the impact of COVID-19, there is also a significant amount of ink and dollars earmarked for the skilled trades.

CLAC had the opportunity to meet with officials from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (MLTSD) as well as staff from the Ministry of Finance on budget day. We asked questions and sought understanding about the budget details.

That Ontario needs to replace a large number of skilled tradespeople is already well known to members at work in the field. According to Buildforce Canada, 100,000 new workers will need to join the provincial construction workforce in the next 10 years to contend with the growth in the economy and anticipated workforce retirements. The province is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a three-tiered strategy that will address these changes:

Breaking the Stigma – Highlights include investments into various youth-focussed programs, such as the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), the Ontario preapprenticeship program, and Skills Canada, all in an effort to demonstrate to our youth that a career in the trades can be exciting and lucrative. The province has also appointed a Youth Advisory Panel that we look forward to working with, and we’re pleased to see an engagement strategy being developed for elementary school children.
Simplifying the System – With this budget, the province has unveiled how it will begin to wind down the Ontario College of Trades. The province is also rolling out a new nonrepayable tools grant for apprentices, as well as income support for apprentices while in school. The CLAC Training Team in Ontario will work to ensure CLAC apprentices know about and can access these supports, once details are released.
Encouraging Employer Participation – Highlights include an achievement incentive that is paid to small- and medium-sized employers when apprentices complete trade school levels. While it may seem odd to direct this incentive to employers, one of the major impediments to apprentice learners is getting the time off of work to attend trade school. This is a novel approach to solving that problem, and a good match for the income support that apprentices in school will now be eligible for.

One of the other significant areas of investment in the budget will be for Skills Development, Second Career Funding, and Employment Ontario, all of which are in different ways designed to help the under- and unemployed transition into a skilled trades career.

In summary, the province is sending a strong message that there is much demand for workers in the skilled trades, and that there are supports and incentives for almost anyone who elects to come help build Ontario.

Ontario Signals Strong Support for the Skilled Trades with Budget

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