Province commits $364,000 to millwright training
The Ontario government has announced an investment of more than $364,000 that will go to help 100 journeypersons and apprentices in Sarnia and southwestern Ontario upgrade their skills in millwrighting.
Led by Millwright Local 1592, the funding will also help businesses find the skilled workers they need to build and maintain the hospitals, schools, automotive plants, and other infrastructure investments coming to the region.
“When you have a career in the skilled trades, you have a career for life,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “Working with our union partners, our government is proud to invest in innovative training programs to ensure hard-working men and women have the skills they need to land better jobs and help build our province.”
Participants will be trained and certified on four pieces of equipment including boom lifts and elevating work platforms, forklifts, telehandlers, and scissor lifts. They will also get help with technical skilling and employment support so they can progress in their careers and meet the needs of local employers.
The investment will also help increase training opportunities at Local 1592 in Sarnia for decades to come and allow them to incorporate new, state-of-the-art equipment into their training curriculum. Local 1592 services Lambton, Middlesex, Oxford, Huron, Perth and Bruce Counties.
“Local 1592 and its members will benefit from the Skills Development Fund Project which will allow us to expand our training opportunities at UBC Millwright Local 1592’s Training Centre in Sarnia,” said Steve Laur, Business Manager at Millwright Local 1592. “Minister McNaughton continues to demonstrate and support the importance of the Skilled Trades in Ontario. He understands the direct benefit of skills training and the employability of our members in building our great province.”
The project is funded through the government’s Skills Development Fund, an initiative valued at more than $700 million, which supports ground-breaking 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, to help almost 522,000 people around the province take the next step in their careers.