HAMILTON, ONT. — The Ontario government is investing $37 million to help 15,000 people gain the skills they need to find jobs or to retrain for a new career, including $450,000 for the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario to support women in the trades as well as health and safety training.
As part of the province’s economic recovery, the funding will support 86 projects and provide training in high-demand skills like construction, information technology, advanced manufacturing, truck driving and horticulture.
The programs include internships and other hands-on learning experiences. In most cases the training is provided at no charge, Premier Doug Ford announced Sept. 3.
The $37 million is supporting universities, colleges, training providers and community and business organizations with costs related to planning, organizing and implementing projects.
The announcement was made at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 105 Training Centre in Hamilton by Ford, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Jane McKenna, and members of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario
In addition to the trades council, the other skills training projects receiving funding include:
- The Ford Motor Company of Canada in Oakville will receive more than $954,000 to create up to 244 co-op learning spots to give college and university students practical, hands-on experience for careers in manufacturing, vehicle connectivity and business operations.
- The Greenhouse Academy in Thorndale will receive $440,000 to train secondary students about how to grow plants, prepare seedlings for reforestation projects and gain real workplace and business experience.
- Roland Gossage Foundation will receive $500,000 for their Soldiers in Tech project to help up to 45 veterans train for careers in web development and technology.
The province is working to finalize agreements with training providers and the full list of successful recipients will be available on Sept. 25.
“A few years ago it would have been hard to imagine a scene like this with dozens of labour leaders representing hundreds of thousands of workers standing shoulder to shoulder with the Conservative premier and labour minister and yet here we are today,” McNaughton stated during the announcement.
“It’s because we’re working together to make workplaces safer and to ensure good meaningful jobs are being created. We are moving forward in the spirit of co-operation for the good of everyone and it takes two to tango. So thank you to the Provincial Building Trades, to LIUNA, the painters, the carpenters, the drywallers, the electricians, the ironworkers, the insulators, the formworkers, the plumbers, the sprinkler fitters and the boilermakers, the workers who are building Ontario up.”
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