Ontario Investing $55 Million to Help More People Enter the Skilled Trades

An additional $investment in three programs that support apprenticeship will help the next generation of skilled tradespeople access the training, equipment and facilities they need to get good jobs.

As part of a renewed Youth Jobs Strategy, new funding will be distributed over two years to two apprenticeship programs:
•    The Apprenticeship Enhancement Fund will receive an additional $23 million. This will help colleges and other institutions train more people and deliver relevant, high-quality apprenticeship programs by investing in equipment, space and technologies.
•    The Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program will receive $13 million more in funding. This will help people considering careers in the trades develop their job skills and readiness to find work as apprentices through in-class training sessions and work placements.

In addition, colleges and other training organizations funded by Ontario will receive an additional $19 million over three years. This funding increase will support equipment upgrades and more lab time during in-school apprenticeship sessions.

Bolstering funding for apprenticeship programs will ensure more people have the skills needed to meet the evolving needs of the workforce and to build the modern infrastructure that will make Ontario’s economy more competitive.

Supporting a modern apprenticeship system is part of the government’s four-point economic plan for Ontario. This plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

Almost one in five new jobs in Ontario over this decade is expected to be in trades-related occupations. New annual apprenticeship registrations have grown from about 17,000 in 2002-03 to more than 28,000 in 2013-14. In 2014-15, Ontario provided grants and loans of about $164.5 million to the apprenticeship system.