Ontario announces new skilled-trades initiatives for youth
The Ontario government has announced a series of steps—including a large funding boost—designed to further promote careers in the skilled trades to young people.
Labour, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton was joined by Education Minister Stephen Lecce at an event to announce the measures in Whitby on November 24.
The measures see the province issue an additional $90 million over three years to further promote the skilled trades to young people. The funding will help attract more students to careers in the trades and ensure employers have the workers they need to grow their businesses.
In addition, the province has committed a further $2.9 million, for a total of $20 million annually, to expand the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) and provide more opportunities for students. The OYAP now has 63 recruiters across more than 800 schools so that students can learn about the skilled trades at a younger age.
“When you have a job in the skilled trades, you have a job for life,” said McNaughton. “Ontario’s trades are the backbone of our economy. More young people need to know that a job in the trades opens doors to bigger paycheques, with a pension and benefits. The trades can be their ticket to building a better life, strong family, and a stronger community for us all.”
The province estimates that, by 2025, as many as one in five Ontario jobs will be in the skilled trades. At the same time, a third of tradespeople are nearing retirement, meaning the province is projected to face a shortfall of 100,000 construction workers over the decade.
McNaughton indicated that the province has other measures planned to further promote careers in the skilled trades to youth. It has, for example, released a new promotional video and advertising campaign that is targeted to students with more information on the skilled trades.
It will also invest $2 million to host annual skilled trades career fairs across the province.
The Ministry of Education is also planning to launch professional learning opportunities for teachers, including guidance counsellors, so they can become more knowledgeable about the skilled trades.
To encourage employers to take on more apprentices, the province will increase its investments in achievement incentives and pre-apprenticeship training to over $77 million annually, starting in 2022–23. The incentive will also focus on hiring apprentices from underrepresented groups, including women, BIPOC people, newcomers, Francophones and people with disabilities. Pre-apprenticeship program participants can also receive living allowances for costs like rent and childcare.
These initiatives bring the government’s total investment in the province’s Skilled Trades Strategy to approximately $1.5 billion between 2020 and 2024.
The announcements come on the heels of the release of a report from the province’s Apprenticeship Youth Advisors. The document listed five major barriers that prevent young people from launching careers in the skilled trades: a lack of information on apprenticeship pathways, difficulty navigating the system, a lack of system-wide cohesion, employer apprehension about hiring inexperienced staff, and a lack of supports for under-represented groups.
"We are pleased to see the additional investments being made in response to the majority of our recommendations to better support youth in accessing training and supports, so that they can succeed in skilled trades careers," said Jennifer Green, one of the apprenticeship youth advisors.
The province expects that its new training authority, Skilled Trades Ontario, will help more young people find suitable careers in the skilled trades and navigate the provincial system faster and with greater ease. The authority comes online in January.
Featured image: Labour, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton announced the measures on November 24. (Monte McNaughton/Twitter)