June 13, 2023 – The Ontario government reports apprenticeship registrations have increased by 24% in the last year, from 21,971 to 27,319, including a 28% jump among women.

“Apprenticeships are the foundation on which our entire skilled trades and construction sector is built on,” said Adam Melnick, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators & Allied Workers. “I applaud the Ontario government’s dedication to growing apprenticeship numbers getting us back on track.”

The province says it will need over 100,000 new skilled trades workers this decade to help deliver its “ambitious infrastructure plans, including building 1.5 million homes by 2031”.

“There is as much merit in being an electrician or a carpenter as there is in being an architect or a lawyer,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, adding that “we need to ensure students and jobseekers know about the rewarding life-long careers waiting for them in the skilled trades.”

To reduce the stigma related to the trades and make more students, teachers and parents aware of these opportunities, Ontario’s skilled trades career fairs for students will be returning for a second year, and will occur in more cities. (More information to come.)

“With record investments being made in infrastructure, we urgently need skilled workers to meet demand,” said Melissa Young, CEO & registrar of Skilled Trades Ontario. “Now is the time to build a rewarding career in the skilled trades.”