Government Announcement on Skilled Trades

The Provincial Government is making it easier to access the skilled trades.

On Friday, May 31, Premier Doug Ford was at the Ontario Power Generation's Darlington Energy Complex, along with Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, and local MPPs David Piccini and Lindsey Park, to discuss how changes to Ontario's apprenticeship and skilled trades system will get local employers the workers they need and get workers the training required for good quality, available jobs.

"Technology is changing Ontario's economy and the skilled trades have to keep up," said Ford. "We know we have talented potential workers in Ontario — providing the right training will make it easier to match talent with good jobs, help us grow the auto and manufacturing sector, and make Ontario open for business."

The Ontario 2019 Budget sets out the government's plan to modernize the apprenticeship and skilled trades system. Ontario will introduce portable skill sets to help speed up certification and training in the skilled trades. Portable skill sets are a new competency-based system to provide workers and employers with more flexibility. Currently, Ontario's tradespeople are required to master the full scope of a trade to complete an apprenticeship and obtain certification.

About one in five new jobs in Ontario over the next five years is expected to be in trades-related occupations.
Ontario is investing $18.1 million in pre-apprenticeship programs that make Ontarians ready to work in the skilled trades. Applications for the 2019-20 programs opened June 7, 2019.

For any inquiries, please contact Steven Crombie at steven@ogca.ca