The Government of Canada has announced $33 million in funding to a program designed to attract more people from under-represented groups to the skilled trades.

Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Minister Carla Qualtrough announced the funding for the Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness (STAR) program. The program encourages Canadians—particularly those facing barriers, such as women, Indigenous people, visible minorities, newcomers, persons with disabilities and youth—to explore and prepare for careers in the skilled trades.

Four Ontario groups will receive funding under the program.

Temiskaming Native Women's Support Group will receive $11 million for its Intro to Emerging and Established Skilled Trades for Indigenous Women program. The Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium of Canada will receive $5 million for its Skilled Trades for Youth in Advanced Manufacturing program. Community Builders will receive $3.8 million for its Trades & Diversity Training Program, and YWCA Toronto will collect $1.2 million for its STAR 4-Women program.

A further $2.8 million will go to Selections Career Support Services for their project, Get Ready in Trades. The project will help youth pre-apprentices with disabilities in providing flexible and individualized career plans, skills enhancement and work experience opportunities to empower them to explore and prepare for careers in the skilled trades.

"The Get Ready in Trades project has been instrumental to Selections for the plethora of opportunities it has afforded to youth with disabilities who now have an opportunity to begin a career in the trades,” said Angie Amaris, Executive Director of Selections Career Support Services. “This funding enables the organization to diversify services, create awareness and promote inclusion, which impacts our community in a meaningful way. The fundamental objective of the Get Ready in Trades program is to empower our youth to be a part of the future skilled trades workforce while contributing to a growing economy."

The new funding supplements the federal government’s recently announcement of close to $247 million for 13 projects under the Apprenticeship Service that will help small and medium-sized enterprises hire more than 25,000 first-year Red Seal apprentices and provide them with the hands-on experience and training they need to become certified journeypersons.

"Canada needs more skilled trades workers. We need more women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous people, racialized Canadians, LGBTQ2S+ people and other marginalized people to consider a career in the trades, and to have the opportunity to start one,” said Qualtrough. “That's why we're investing in projects like GRiT and other initiatives across Canada that are helping to create a strong, skilled and diverse workforce in the trades." 

The federal government estimates that approximately 700,000 skilled trades workers are expected to retire in Canada by 2028.