Ontario commits $28 million for pre-apprenticeship training programs

Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton takes to the podium during a news conference in Toronto on Wednesday April 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

The province is committing $28 million for pre-apprenticeship training programs to help assist with Ontario's skilled labour shortage.

Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton made the announcement Wednesday in London.

The training programs are free for participants and combine classroom training with on-the-job learning. There were 1,790 people enrolled in pre-apprenticeship programs from April 2021 to March 2022 across the province.

Wednesday's funding announcement funding is an increase of $5 million from 2021.

“Ontario continues to face a generational labour shortage. To build a stronger Ontario and grow our economy we need all hands on deck. Every day, there are hundreds of thousands of paychecks waiting to be collected,” said McNaughton in a news release. “That is why our government is making historic investments in innovative programs that upskill workers and connect them to the careers of their dreams, without having to move to a big city.”

According to the province, between July and September of last year, there were more than 330,000 unfilled jobs in Ontario, with many in the skilled trades.

(More to come)