The Ontario government has announced an investment of more than $900,000 into an Ottawa program that aims to connect newcomers with jobs in the skilled trades.

Labour, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton announced the funding on October 15. The money will see free virtual workshops offered to 900 new immigrants across the province in which they will receive training and job connections to enter such trades as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, mechanics, welders and chefs.

“Across the province, we continue to hear from businesses in the skilled trades who can’t find the workers they need to grow,” said McNaughton. “These are bigger paycheques waiting for hardworking people to collect them. This program will connect newcomers with the training and support they need to fill these good local jobs and build better communities.”

Organized by the YMCA/YWCA, tailored workshops are being provided to newcomers across the province. Sessions will continue until the end of February 2022 and participants can access their online workshop on any electronic device.

Through the workshops, newcomers will learn how to find an apprenticeship, what employers look for when hiring and how to get a Trades Equivalency Assessment. In addition, with the support of the Ontario government, outreach workers are being hired by the YMCA/YWCA to promote connections between newcomers, employers, and local employment service centres. These additional resources will allow them to better connect local job seekers to in-demand careers in the skilled trades.

According to the province, in the first eight months of 2021, there were 82,000 online postings in Ontario for jobs in skilled trades and 6,900 in Ottawa alone.

“We are thrilled to be leading the Ontario Newcomer Trades Action Project in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development,” said Bob Gallagher, President and Chief Executive Officer of the YMCA-YWCA in the National Capital Region. “By scaling this project to five Ys across the province, and targeting three main stakeholder groups – employers in the sector, service providers, and newcomers – we will improve access to apprenticeship training and employment across Ontario.”

This funding is part of Ontario’s investment of more than $200 million in the Skills Development Fund, an initiative to address challenges employers face in hiring, training and retraining workers and apprentices during the COVID-19 pandemic.