Province commits $1M to construction training in North
The Ontario government has announced an investment of more than $1 million for two projects that will provide free training in construction to 645 people in Northern Ontario—and in particular those from remote First Nations and Indigenous communities.
The projects will prepare participants for such sector jobs as heavy equipment operator and electrical trades.
“We’re seeing strong job growth across the province, and the North is no exception. There are thousands of well-paying and rewarding jobs in the resource sector just waiting to be filled by people with the right skills,” said Labour, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton. “These projects will connect people with the training they need to restart their careers, earn bigger paycheques for their families and boost development in Northern Ontario’s resource sector.”
This investment includes $582,000 for NORCAT to train 20 participants with the skills and safety training to operate machinery to build roads, move minerals and harvest forests. Trainees will receive free in-class and hands-on training over a period of five-to-six weeks at NORCAT’s forest and mining operations in Thunder Bay, with free lodging and transportation to and from their training site.
The province is also is investing $467,500 for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 1687 (IBEW 1687) to develop a virtual training centre to teach 625 electrical workers across remote Northern and First Nations communities. Funding will support the purchase of audio visual equipment and development of an online curriculum so that workers can receive safety and equipment training, leadership development and business skills to upgrade their skills in careers including powerline technicians, network cabling specialists, electrical apprentices and journeypersons. Classes will be live-streamed and videotaped for workers without high-speed internet.
NORCAT’s training program will be offered from September 13 to December 3, while IBEW 1687 will offer its training in November.
"The IBEW has always been dedicated to providing the best on-the-job training for electricians in the industrial, commercial, residential, and utility sectors of Northern Ontario,” said Local 1687 business manager and financial secretary Travis Merrett. “Thanks to this opportunity, we will now be able to provide at-home and on-the-job upgrade training for all our members through our state-of-the-art virtual training centre, including many First Nations communities, regardless of where they reside. We are thankful for the opportunity and are looking forward to a workforce that is more skilled and knowledgeable for years to come."
Ontario’s construction industry is projected to see a shortfall of more than 31,000 workers to meet demand through 2030.
The programs will help create employment opportunities across the North. The regional unemployment rate was 7.3 percent in the second quarter of this year compared to 10.3 per cent in the same period in 2020.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for Indigenous people in Ontario in 2020 was 12.5 percent compared with 9.5 percent for non-Indigenous people. Those rates were up from 9.7 percent and 5.5 percent respectively in 2019.
The funding for the programs comes via the province’s $115 million Skills Development Fund to address challenges to hiring, training and retraining workers and apprentices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Featured image: Labour, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton speaks at the funding announcement in Sudbury. (Twitter)