Nearly 1,500 apprentices and journeypersons with plumbing and welding careers will benefit from two new provincial projects.
The Ontario government is investing $11.6 million to help them upgrade their skills in plumbing, welding, steamfitting and other pipe trades.
Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton delivered the news Friday at the UA 663 Plumbers Pipefitters and Welders Union office on Confederation Street in Sarnia.
(Labour Minister Monte McNaughton delivers $11.6 million funding announcement in Sarnia April 22, 2022. Blackburn Media photo by Stephanie Chaves.)
He said the province has teamed up with the UA (United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing, Pipefitting and Sprinkler Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada) to deliver the state of the art training to its members.
"This investment is a generational lift," said McNaughton. "It will help tradespeople upgrade their skills and ensure Ontario has a steady stream of skilled workers to get the job done. Our commitment to these trades includes $10.5 million dollars for the Ontario Pipe Trades Council (OPTC) to deliver cutting edge training for over 1,000 registered apprentices and journeypersons."
McNaughton said $1.1 million will go to the Joint Training and Apprenticeship Committee (JTAC) Local 46 Training Centre in Scarborough, to deliver six to eight weeks of in-class training for 488 apprentices in the plumber, steamfitter and welder trades.
"One of the challenges with the skilled trades in Ontario is that there's a lot of new technologies that's coming into the trades, so we have to make sure we continue to upscale our skilled trades workers," he said.
To apply to the Ontario Pipe Trades Council's project contact office@optc.org or call 1-905-665-3500. Registered apprentices interested in applying to the JTAC training program can call 1-416-759-9351.
Eligible apprentices will be able to receive income support while attending full-time schooling.
Friday's announcement is funded in part by Ontario's Skills Development Fund.