Carpenters Union Applauds Government Investment of $55 Million to Boost Apprenticeship in Skilled Trades in Ontario

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 9, 2015) - On Thursday, The Wynne Government announced its investment of $55 million to help more people enter the skilled trades to support the rising number of job opportunities in trade-related occupations.

The investment is part of the renewed Youth Jobs Strategy and funds will be distributed to two apprenticeship programs, namely The Apprenticeship Enhancement Fund and The Pre-Apprenticeship Training Fund.

"We applaud this investment by the Wynne government, which reinforces their commitment to strengthening the skilled trades in Ontario. This expanded support will strengthen the province's apprenticeship system and help ensure that the right resources are in place to train a new wave of talented young people and fill local labour market needs," said Mr. Tony Iannuzzi, Executive Secretary Treasurer for The Carpenters' District Council of Ontario.

Over the next decade, it is expected that one in five jobs created in Ontario will be in trade-related occupations.

"Ontario is already recognized for excellence in skilled trades. Our prominence in this industry owes a great deal to provincial investments into equipment, programs and training," said Nikki Holland, Director of Public Affairs, Carpenters' District Council of Ontario. "We are looking forward to working together with the government as we hope to utilize these funds to train our members and new apprentices."

In addition to the funds allocated to the apprenticeship programs, the government announced that $19 million will go directly to supporting equipment upgrades and more lab time during in-school apprenticeship sessions.

About Carpenters' District Council of Ontario

The Carpenters' District Council of Ontario ("CDC") is composed of 16 affiliated Local Unions of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners across the province. In total, we represent over 20,000 women and men working in a wide range of skilled trades, including carpentry, drywall, resilient flooring, concrete formwork, underwater construction, welding, scaffolding, and a long list of other construction-related work. Indeed, because of our up-to-date apprenticeship and training programs, there are very few construction-related jobs outside the scope of the Carpenters' Union. In addition, our union represents many industrial workers and thousands of highly-skilled workers in Ontario's health care sector.