Ontario to invest $90M to promote skilled trades to young people

Ontario has announced it will be investing an additional $90 million over the next three years to promote skilled trades to young people.

Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, and Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, revealed the investment during a news conference in Whitby Wednesday morning.

The government also announced an additional $2.9 million, for a total of $20 million annually, to expand the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) and provide more opportunities for students. The OYAP now has 63 recruiters across more than 800 schools so that students can learn about the skilled trades at a younger age.

“When you have a job in the skilled trades, you have a job for life,” said McNaughton in a news release. “Ontario’s trades are the backbone of our economy. More young people need to know that a job in the trades opens doors to bigger paycheques, with a pension and benefits. The trades can be their ticket to building a better life, strong family, and a stronger community for us all.”

The province said by 2025, it is estimated that one in five jobs in Ontario will be in the skilled trades.

Lecce said a new math curriculum that focuses on financial literacy, coding, and entrepreneurship has been introduced in schools and will help prepare young people for jobs in those fields.

The province is also increasing the incentive programs for employers to take on more apprentices, specifically those from underrepresented groups, including women, BIPOC people, newcomers, Francophones and people with disabilities starting next year.