With many good paying skilled trades jobs going unfilled in Ontario, the province is stepping up with an investment to increase training and supports.
More than $4-million will be used for a number of initiatives in several cities including Windsor.
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton told AM800's The Afternoon News that there's a long list of reason to get into the skilled trades.
"When you have a trade you have a job for life. These jobs, in a lot of circumstances, come with pensions and benefits," he says. "So we need to really tell the parents and young people and educators like guidance counsellors that these are meaningful, exciting and lucrative career paths."
McNaughton says more young people need to be exposed to the trades.
"For the last two decades in Ontario, governments of all stripes have not encouraged young people to go into the skilled trades. I'm really focusing on ending the stigma around the trades and getting more employers engaged to bring on apprentices," he says.
McNaughton says there's career opportunities for almost anyone.
"I'm really excited. We're focusing on getting more women and under represented groups into the trades. Indigenous people as well as those who have been impacted by COVID-19. There's great career opportunities for everyone in the trades," he adds.
The funding will go toward pre-apprenticeship programs for nearly 500 workers as well as a project to attract more women to the trades through marketing and free training.
More information about the program can be found at ontario.ca/trades.
In the fourth quarter of 2020, close to 12,000 jobs in the construction sector went unfilled across the province.
With files from Patty Handysides