February 4, 2016 – The Ontario government has announced it is investing $36 million over the next two years to help the next generation of skilled tradespeople access the training, equipment and facilities they need to prepare for the workforce.

“We are absolutely thrilled that the government continues to make apprenticeship training a priority in Ontario”, said Linda Franklin, president of Colleges Ontario. “This investment in equipment and training will help ensure students acquire advanced skills to succeed in their careers and that Ontario businesses will have the highly skilled talent they need to innovate and grow the economy.”

The investment will include:

• $23 million over two years through the Apprenticeship Enhancement Fund for 47 new capital projects at colleges and other training organizations for new equipment, facilities and technologies such as welding simulators, to provide opportunities for hands-on training; and
• $13 million through the Pre-Apprenticeship Training program to help support 84 pre-apprenticeship training programs, which the province said will help more than 1500 people primarily from traditionally underrepresented groups including women, Aboriginal peoples and at-risk youth, consider careers in the trades by developing their skills through in-class training sessions and work placements.

“Ontario’s Apprenticeship Enhancement Fund is a sound investment that leverages contributions from workers and contractors in the industrial, commercial and institutional construction industry to equip state-of-the-art training facilities that are needed to train tomorrow’s skilled trades workforce,” said Sean W. Strickland, CEO of Ontario Construction Secretariat.

New annual apprenticeship registrations in programs across Ontario have grown from 17,100 in 2002-2003 to more than 26,500 in 2014-2015, the province stated. It added that this investment will help support the almost one in five new jobs that is expected to be created in Ontario trades in the coming decade.