Province commits $3.6M to PBCTCO training programs for women and youth
The provincial government will invest $3.6 million to support a series of training projects that are being run by the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario (PBCTCO) and which focus on attracting women and young people into the construction trades.
Labour Immigration, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton announced the funding on August 8. The money will support three free programs that focus on increasing female participation in the industry, provide online training tools and exclusive employment opportunities to jobseekers, and give Grade 12 students a first-hand look at careers in construction.
PBCTCO expects to enrol more than 2,200 people through the programs.
“Our government will continue to invest in training programs that spread life-changing opportunity to anyone who wants a hand up to a bigger paycheque and a better life,” said McNaughton. “We are proud to support these new projects that help women and young people enter the trades and find purpose-driven careers.”
The first PBCTCO project will help 700 tradeswomen gain the leadership, communications, health and safety training, and networking opportunities they need to start careers in the industry. It will also include the development of a speaker’s bureau to partner tradeswomen with speaking opportunities with schools, employment agencies, trade shows and other events across the province to mentor and attract more women into the skilled trades.
Currently, women make up less than five percent of Ontario’s construction workforce.
“These projects focus on developing the workforce of the future and expanding opportunities within the skilled trades for equity-seeking groups,” said Marc Arsenault, Business Manager at PBCTCO.
The second project will provide 1,500 people with access to online resources and training tools where they can explore the skilled trades, build core skills and find apprenticeship opportunities in their profession of choice, connecting them directly with local employers.
Additionally, PBCTCO’s Tomorrow’s Trades program is returning to provide 60 Grade 12 students in London and Ottawa with hands-on learning opportunities, behind-the-scenes access to high-profile construction projects and training so they can prepare for life-changing jobs in the industry. The program, which prioritizes at-risk youth, has previously run in Toronto, Hamilton, and Sudbury. Transportation and training costs will be provided for students.
Additionally, the Tomorrow’s Trades program is developing a forecasting program to project the number of skilled trades workers needed for all major construction and maintenance projects across Ontario. It will improve the program’s ability to stream young people into high-demand skilled trades opportunities by region.
All three projects are funded through the province’s Skills Development Fund, a $700-million initiative that supports programs that connect jobseekers with the skills and training they need to find well-paying careers close to home.
Through its first three funding rounds, the Skills Development Fund has supported 596 projects, aiming to help almost 522,000 people around the province take the next step in their careers. The government expanded the scope of the fund in June with the announcement of a $224-million capital stream that supports the building of new training centres and the renovation or expansion of existing ones.