The Ontario government has announced nearly $12 million in funding for two projects to help nearly 1,500 apprentices and journeypersons upgrade their skills in plumbing, steamfitting, welding, sprinkler fitting, and refrigeration trades.

The province announced the funding on April 22. The money is being provided through the $200-million Skills Development Fund.

The Ontario Pipe Trades Council will receive $10.5 million of the funding to deliver state-of-the-art training for over 1,000 registered apprentices and journeypersons. The funding will help participants attend virtual and in-class training to upgrade their skills, and support the purchase of specialized equipment, such as spider cranes, so that apprentices can learn proper operating techniques. Training is open to members of the United Association within Ontario.

“Within Ontario alone, our UA Local Training centres support upwards of 6,500 apprentices throughout their journey toward successful completion while simultaneously upskilling an additional 16,000 journeypersons with the best training available in the piping industry,” said Mike Gordon, Director of Canadian Training, United Association Canada.  “We embrace this responsibility considering it ensures opportunity to our membership and employers alike while also playing a key role in Ontario’s economy and our collective preparedness to meet tomorrow’s workforce demands. We commend the provincial government’s efforts to provide substantial resources to advance this mandate.”

The province is also providing $1.1 million in funding for the Joint Training & Apprenticeship Committee (JTAC) Local 46 Training Centre to deliver six-to-eight weeks of training per level of in-class training for 488 apprentices in the plumber, steamfitter and welder trades. Eligible apprentices will be able to receive income support while attending full-time schooling. They can also apply for financial incentives like a basic living allowance, commuting allowance and dependent care.

"Today's announcement is another example of how the Ontario government is taking action to ensure our province has the highly skilled workforce that we need to grow our economy and create opportunity," said Bob Bailey, MPP for Sarnia-Lambton. "By supporting our workers in the skilled trades with advanced training, we are making sure that Ontario can meet our critical infrastructure needs and compete on the world stage for future project investments."

In the fourth quarter of 2021, there were over 304,000 jobs going unfilled in Ontario, including over 20,600 in the construction sector.

Plumbers earned an average hourly wage of $30.76 in Ontario in 2021, steamfitters and sprinkler fitters earned $37.25, welders earned $25.81, and HVACR service technicians earned $31.21.