Monte McNaughton
Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and
Skills Development
Charmaine Williams
Ontario’s Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity
Ontario is breaking down barriers and spreading opportunity to every corner of the province, helping workers upgrade their skills and start in-demand jobs.
Ontario is in the middle of the greatest labour shortage in a generation. From Thunder Bay to Ottawa — and everywhere in between — you see the same “help wanted” signs in shop windows. Over the next decade, to deliver our province’s $185 billion infrastructure plan on time and on budget, we will need 100,000 more workers in construction alone.
Careers in the skilled trades, like electricians, welders, insulators, and carpenters, are well-paying. This is purpose-driven work, with pensions and benefits, where you can buy a home and build a family. Simply put, when you have a job in the trades, you have a job for life.
Unfortunately, we know women are often missing in many of the fastest growing and highest paying sectors, such as STEM, technology, and yes — the skilled trades, where they occupy as little as two per cent of some construction-related positions.
To change that, our government is taking an all-hands-on-deck approach, which includes a $1.5 billion investment from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development over four years to bring these life-changing careers within reach for people from all walks of life.
As part of this, our new agency, Skilled Trades Ontario, is simplifying Ontario’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system and bringing it into the 21st century.
We’re also breaking down barriers to give people the hand-up they need to better jobs and bigger paycheques. Whether it’s financial support for childcare, work boots for your first shift, or a transit pass to get to the job site, we’ll cover it.
We’re spreading opportunity to every corner of our province and leaving no one behind. This includes a project in Southwestern Ontario preparing more than 50 people from local First Nations for well-paying careers in the skilled trades. For those without access to transport, we’ve acquired a school bus so participants can take themselves to and from the job site.
One of the best-kept secrets in Ontario is the fact many people in the skilled trades earn more than those with PhDs.
Our Skills Development Fund has launched 380 projects, just like this, helping 400,000 workers upgrade their skills and start in-demand jobs in their communities, where they can earn more take-home pay for their families.
For too long, parents and children have been sold the myth that university is the only path to success in life. That’s simply not true.
That is why, this year, our government has launched Ontario’s first ever-skilled trades career fairs, taking place in cities across our province. This fall, tens of thousands of students in grades 7–12 got to experience these purpose-driven careers through hands-on exhibits, while meeting with local employers and tradespeople.
Right now, the average age of an apprentice in Ontario is 27. This means a generation of young people have gone to university and accumulated debt before finding their calling in the trades.
One of the best-kept secrets in Ontario is the fact many people in the skilled trades earn more than those with PhDs.
Working together — government, labour, and businesses — it’s time we build an Ontario where everyone has a fair shot at a better life.
