Latest news with #CanadianApprenticeshipStrategy
Cision Canada
4 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Training more than 17,300 Canadian workers to help build the strongest skilled trades workforce in the G7 Français
CALGARY, AB, Aug. 12, 2025 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is building one strong Canadian economy. To do so, Canada needs the strongest skilled trades workforce in the G7. By collaborating with unions, the federal government is supporting workers so they get the skills and training they need and is also creating well-paying sustainable jobs for generations to come. Today, while speaking at a conference with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Honourable John Zerucelli, Secretary of State (Labour), on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, announced close to $10 million in funding for the Western Joint Electrical Training Society. This project will provide innovative, hands-on training to construction electrician apprentices, journeypersons and other workers across Canada to address green skills, knowledge, and competency gaps. Secretary of State Zerucelli also announced more than $3 million to the National Electrical Trade Council for a project that will train Red Seal powerline technicians to use drones for powerline maintenance to support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Together, these projects will mean nearly 17,350 workers will be able to upgrade or gain new skills. These projects are funded by the Sustainable Jobs stream of the Union Training and Innovation Program under the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy, and they complement investments in the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund that help thousands of workers to upgrade or gain the new skills required for a green economy. Today's announcement is part of the Government's response to the skilled trades workforce's most pressing needs, including addressing barriers to successful entry, supporting progression and completion of apprenticeships, addressing the housing crisis, and increasing net-zero construction to unlock Canada's economic potential. Quotes "To effectively double the number of homes built annually to nearly 500,000, we need a workforce equipped with the green skills needed to build faster. Today's announcement is part of our plan to help train nearly 30,000 tradespeople, in collaboration with organizations and unions—driving innovation, boosting productivity and supporting long-term growth in the construction sector right here at home." – The Honourable John Zerucelli, Secretary of State (Labour) "At the National Electrical Trade Council, we recognize the critical role of the powerline sector in maintaining Canada's electrical infrastructure and grid capacity. This transformative program, by merging traditional expertise with new technologies, will not only significantly elevate the quality of our Red Seal skilled trades and address critical skill gaps, but also actively champion the green initiatives essential for reducing Canada's emissions footprint and ensuring a sustainable future." – Chris Swick, Executive Director, National Electrical Trade Council "This national investment in green energy training equipment is a game-changer for Canada's skilled trades. By supporting broad-based partnerships across industry and union joint training committees, we're enabling the sharing of expertise and resources from coast to coast. This collaborative approach ensures that training is demand-driven, locally relevant, and focused on closing skill gaps—empowering workers to lead the transition to a sustainable economy." – Adrien Livingston, Executive Director, Western Joint Electrical Training Society Quick facts The Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy's Sustainable Jobs funding stream and the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund are part of Canada's comprehensive sustainable jobs approach, as outlined in the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act and the interim Sustainable Jobs Plan for 2023 to 2025, which guides Canada's efforts to move to a net-zero emissions economy. Some examples of industries where tradespeople with green training are needed include low-carbon building construction, clean energy deployment, and the zero-emission vehicles and battery supply chain. Home retrofits and new builds increasingly require construction workers to be equipped with specialized skills to work on energy-efficient high-performing buildings. Nearly $1 billion annually in apprenticeship support goes toward making trades training more affordable through loans, grants and contributions, tax credits, and Employment Insurance benefits. The Government has committed to doubling the pace of housing construction, both through traditional construction and new technology such as prefabricated and modular homebuilding. This means Canada needs to hire and train thousands of new skilled tradespeople who can help build these houses. Associated links Backgrounder: Sustainable Jobs Stream About the Union Training and Innovation Program About the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund Canada's 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan Budget 2024 SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada Contacts: For media enquiries, please contact: Jennifer Kozelj, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Jobs and Families, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
CBC
30-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
Skilled trades program for Indigenous workers gets $5M as industry faces retirements 'in droves'
Getting more Indigenous people working in the skilled trades will help Canada achieve its housing goals, according to a news release from the federal government. It announced Wednesday it is giving $5 million over five years through the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy to an Alberta-based non-profit that trains Indigenous people for jobs in the skilled trades. "This program absolutely works," said Starla Jacknife, a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation who graduated from a Trade Winds to Success program in 2023. Jacknife said she was inspired to pursue work in carpentry after seeing an ad for the program featuring a series of women in ribbon skirts. Jacknife said the training she received through Trade Winds to Success prepared her for work by offering safety ticket training, tutoring in math and science and mock job interviews. "Every single day I get to learn something new, hone my skills, work with tools, listen to music, and make money," she said, after nearly two years in the field. About 63 per cent of people who begin work in the skilled trades in Alberta stay in the field after one year, according to Statistics Canada data from 2020. The Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy funds projects that support trades related to home building. "It's clear we need workers and we need them quickly," said Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Steven MacKinnon at a news conference in Edmonton Wednesday. "Construction workers with deep seated knowledge in the exact areas required to build up our country are retiring in droves. They're retiring quicker than we can get more new workers in." By 2033, 263,400 workers in construction — 21 per cent of the current labour force — are expected to retire, according to data from BuildForce Canada. The government of Alberta announced $1.5 million in funding over three years for Trade Winds in December 2024. Trade Winds for Success board member Chris Waples, who is also director of Local 488 Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, said this federal funding will allow Trade Winds to train 290 Indigenous workers in areas like carpentry, electrical work, pipe trades and welding. Waples said the training will have additional benefits in Indigenous communities. Trainees are expected to build 13 high-efficiency homes on First Nations and Metis Settlements in Alberta. "Education has the power to change the trajectory of a person's life and we have witnessed first hand the transformative impact our programs have on our students and their communities," Waples said.
