NEW – ON: New skilled trades agency announced
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On January 25, 2022, the Ontario government announced the creation of new Crown agency Skilled Trades Ontario to “improve trades training and simplify services, promote and market the trades, develop the latest training and curriculum standards, and provide a streamlined user-friendly experience for tradespeople”.
According to the Ministry of Labour, these changes are intended to “deliver more workers for in-demand jobs, redraw the system to address Ontario’s labour shortage, make the trades a career of choice for more people and ready the province for a strong economic comeback”.
The agency will offer online services to help with career management and provide a one-stop online shop for scheduling classes and exams, submitting forms, paying fees with the promise of reducing application wait times.
The agency lists 144 registered trades in the province that included truck drivers but not gas fitters. When the CPA inquired about the inclusion of gas fitters within this new regime, they were directed to the TSSA.
The CPA is following up directly with the ministry to determine how propane skilled trades and technicians can take advantage of the services offered by this agency.
