NEWS RELEASE
NIAGARA WEST MPP SAM OOSTERHOFF
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The Ontario government is working for workers by investing a total of $812,775 at Niagara College to boost pre-apprenticeship training and help more people in Niagara get trained for meaningful and well-paying careers in growing sectors of the economy.
This funding is part of the government's record investment in nearly 100 free pre-apprenticeship programs around the province to promote careers in the skilled trades to young people and help tackle the province's historic labour shortage.
"Ontario's skilled trades are vital to the growth of the economy and our government's Plan to Build strategy, offering careers that lead to secure jobs and a good quality of life," said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.
"We know in-demand jobs in the skilled trades and other critical sectors continue to grow and this important funding helps local post-secondary institutions like Niagara College close the skills gap."
Led by Niagara College, the local pre-apprenticeship training project is providing 45 students who are interested in working in the trades gain the skills and experience they need in the automotive service, electrical contractor and industrial millwright fields so they can earn bigger paycheques for themselves and their families.
"Niagara College is grateful for this provincial investment which will support the key role that Niagara College plays in meeting the needs of industry and employers, and training students for in-demand careers as apprentices in the skilled trades," said Sean Kennedy, President of Niagara College.
"The pre-apprenticeship program at Niagara College is an exciting opportunity for those who may have considered a career in the skilled trades, but faced barriers to take the next steps," said Fiona Allan, Academic Vice-President at Niagara College.
"Students are benefiting from hands-on training in a supportive environment followed by a paid work placement and industry mentorship. The program is providing eager job seekers a chance to secure long-term employment and is a win for local employers in need of skilled tradespeople."
"Ontario is combatting the largest labour shortage in a generation, and each one of these unfilled jobs is a paycheque waiting to be collected," said Hon. Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
"When you have a career in the skilled trades, you have a career for life. Our government will continue to invest in innovative training opportunities that give young people the tools they need to build better lives for themselves and stronger communities for us all."
The first intake of the pre-apprenticeship program at Niagara College began in May 2023 with fifteen students in each of the three streams: Automotive Service Technician; Electrician - Construction and Maintenance, and Industrial Millwright Mechanic.
The program is designed with a wholistic approach to career preparation, bringing together academic upgrading, job readiness, in-class theory and industry-lab exposure. The program will culminate with a paid, eight-week work placement where students will benefit from mentorship from industry professionals. The funding from the province will help cover tuition, training materials, tools, personal protective equipment, and employer wage subsidies.
To help increase participation in the skilled trades, the government has recently made changes including making it easier for high school students to explore these careers, requiring women’s-only washrooms on constructions sites, announcing a $224 million investment in building and upgrading training centres.
This funding announced is part of the government's nearly $1.5 billion-dollar investment in the Skilled Trades Strategy, from 2021-22 to 2023-24. These initiatives build on the government's ongoing efforts to attract, support, and protect workers, making Ontario the best place in the world to work, live and raise a family.
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