In the middle of a historic labour shortage, Ontario requires all hands on deck, says the province's minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development in announcing additional funding for training. PHOTO courtesy CWB.
The Ontario government is investing an additional $160 million in the Skills Development Fund (SDF) to tackle the labour shortage and help at least 100,000 workers get free training to meet the needs of employers hiring in their communities.
The funding will prioritize programs that propose innovative training solutions to help people on social assistance and with prior criminal records find meaningful employment in critical industries such as auto-manufacturing and the skilled trades.
“For too long, too many in our community have been forgotten and treated as second class in their own province. In the middle of a historic labour shortage, we need all hands on deck,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “That is why our government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure we give anyone who wants a job and a paycheque they can be proud of a shot at the Ontario dream. Whether you’ve been on social assistance for 10 months or 10 years, we’ll help you.”
Roughly 300,000 jobs in Ontario are going unfilled every day, which threatens to hold back the economy and the government’s ambitious infrastructure plans. At the same time, more than 800,000 people in Ontario rely on social assistance when the majority are willing, able and eager to work. This includes hundreds of thousands of people who made a mistake in the past and carry a criminal record and have not reoffended – almost half of whom are on social assistance even 15 years after release from prison.
In response, the fourth round of the Skills Development Fund Training Stream will support programs that help them find meaningful work and tackle the labour shortage.
The announcement was made in Dresden, where the government announced a $465,000 investment through a previous round of the Skills Development Fund Training Stream to prepare 24 young people for careers in construction and the skilled trades in Chatham-Kent.
Through its first three rounds, the Skills Development Fund has supported 596 projects in a variety of sectors, helping half a million people take the next step in their careers.
“This $465,000 investment in our youth through the Skills Development Fund is a transformative step,” says Trevor Jones, MPP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington. “Empowering youth for rewarding careers in construction and skilled trades not only secures their future but also fuels the growth of Chatham-Kent-Leamington as a thriving community.”
The announcement brings Ontario’s total investment in the Skills Development Fund Training Stream to over $860 million.
