Ontario government investing $90M in skilled trades programs

Ontario says it is investing $90 million to support upgrading the skills of workers.

The province says the funding opens on Thursday to anyone who is unemployed or underemployed.

The Skills Development Fund will prioritize programs helping people with prior involvement in the criminal justice system, at-risk youth, people with disabilities, Indigenous peoples and Ukrainian newcomers.

Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton says the program is designed to help those who need a hand up in a market where there are 370,000 jobs available across the province.

The province says a previous investment in the John Howard Society has helped 40 previously incarcerated people find jobs in the manufacturing industry.

The current round of funding will prioritize applications for the skilled trades, health care, technology and manufacturing industries. Funding applications will be accepted starting Sept. 29, 2022, and will close Jan. 31, 2023. 

'A different labour market moment'

Tricia Williams, director of research at the Future Skills Centre, said Ontario is clearly facing a labour shortage and the funding reflects that.

She said the shortfall is due to an increase in the number of people retiring, a decrease in immigration during the pandemic and a general shift in the kind of skills that employers want.

She added that, for a long time, young people have struggled to find work after getting out of school, but things have changed.

"Really, we're in a different labour market moment right now, which is a bit unprecedented, I'd say, in a generation," she said.

Williams said it's encouraging that the province is investing in the upgrading of skills, working with employer groups to find the most pressing needs and focusing on marginalized groups that face barriers getting into the labour market.

 But she said she wants to see how the province will measure success.

"Historically, there is a lot of criticism that government money tends to get people through training programs and get them graduated and that's it."