The Ontario government has announced it will invest $75 million to train up to 7,800 additional students at colleges, universities and Indigenous Institutes across the province for in-demand jobs in construction and urban planning.

The province says the investment will strengthen the province’s pipeline of the construction workers that are needed to fulfill the government’s plan to build more homes, highways, hospitals and other critical infrastructure.

“Our government has bold plans to build the Ontario of tomorrow, and it is critical that we have the homegrown, highly skilled workers to get it done,” said Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn. “From designing roadways to building homes, this investment will ensure our students have the training they need to launch rewarding, in-demand careers that protect and strengthen Ontario’s future in the face of economic uncertainty caused by U.S. tariffs.”

This investment will fund up to 7,500 new seats at colleges and Indigenous Institutes for construction programs such as welding, carpentry and renovation techniques. The funding will also support up to 300 new seats for graduate students at universities to train urban and land use planners across the province by 2028.

"The next three years will be critical for Ontario’s construction industry as more critical infrastructure projects exit the planning phase and enter active construction than ever before,” said Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma. “This bold investment will ensure Ontario’s construction skilled trades industry is expanded and well-equipped to train the future workforce that will build the subways, highways, long-term care, schools and water infrastructure our province needs for the future."

Colleges receiving funding to expand enrolment in the construction programs starting as early as September 2025 include Cambrian College, Confederation College, Collège Boréal, La Cité, Centennial College, Durham College, George Brown College, Humber Polytechnic, Conestoga College, Fleming College, Georgian College, Niagara College and Fanshawe College, as well as Kenjgewin Teg, an Indigenous Institute.

Universities receiving funding to expand enrolment in their graduate level planning programs include Queen’s University, Toronto Metropolitan University, University of Guelph, York University and University of Waterloo.

Ontario’s postsecondary institutions offer approximately 240 construction-related techniques and technician programs. The province is also home to six universities that offer accredited graduate-level planning programs.