The federal government has opened this year’s call for proposals under its Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy.

The government has committed $25 million in its 2023–2024 fiscal year for projects that will support the training of 25,500 apprentices.

Unions representing Red Seal workers are eligible to apply. Under a special exception for this year only, organizations managing training trust funds for Red Seal workers, community colleges, technical institutions, and training providers that deliver technical training to apprentices as part of a curriculum for a Red Seal trade will also be able to apply.

The government says the expanded application is ensure as many Canadians as possible can access training that will help them find a good job in the skilled trades.

Applications from unions will be given priority in the assessment process.

“Workers are the engine of Canada’s economy, they build the industries that support good jobs and strong communities from coast to coast to coast,” said Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault. “This investment revs Canada’s economic engine and gives apprentices access to high-quality training. It will make sure they are prepared to seize the opportunity of in-demand, well-paying jobs in the skilled trades.”

Selected projects will help improve the quality of training for apprentices by funding the purchase of equipment and materials and support the development of environmental skills in the Red Seal trades.

The deadline to apply for funding is September 21, 2023.

Each year, the Government of Canada invests nearly $1 billion in apprenticeship supports through grants, loans, tax credits, Employment Insurance benefits during in-school training, project funding, and support for the Red Seal program. Further to providing supports in the skilled trades, the Government is also helping to increase awareness, through an advertising campaign promoting the skilled trades as a first‑choice career option for young people. 

Skilled trades workers continue to be in short supply. The latest data from the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum estimates that, from 2022 to 2026, over 122,000 new journeypersons will be required to sustain workforce certification across Red Seal trades in Canada. Of these, approximately 92,300 journeypersons will be concentrated in the top 15 national in-demand Red Seal trades, which include cook, industrial electrician, painter and decorator, and welder.

Meanwhile, BuildForce Canada projects that the construction industry will need to recruit 299,200 new workers over the next decade by 2032, driven predominantly by the expected retirement of 245,100 workers, or about 20% of its 2022 labour force.

For its part, the federal government has put various programs and incentives in place to drive people toward careers in the skilled trades. On April 1, it eliminated interest payments on Canada Apprentice Loans and Canada Student Loans.

In its 2022 budget, the government allocated $84.2 million over four years to double the funding for the Union Training and Innovation Program. The funding aims to help apprentices from equity-deserving groups launch careers in the skilled trades. That budget also introduced a labour mobility deduction, which provides tax recognition on up to $4,000 per year in eligible travel and temporary relocation expenses to eligible tradespeople and apprentices.

Finally, its 2022 Fall Economic Statement announced a new Union Training and Innovation Program sustainable jobs funding stream under the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy. This new funding stream will support unions in leading the development of green skills training for workers in the trades. The government estimates that 20,000 apprentices and journeypersons will benefit from this investment.