EDMONTON, AB, Jan. 29, 2025 /CNW/ - To support Canada’s National Housing Strategy and encourage more people to join the skilled trades, the Government of Canada is investing in local opportunities to train and recruit the next generation of workers needed to build a strong and certified workforce.
Today, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Steven MacKinnon announced funding of nearly $5 million to the Trade Winds to Success Training Society to train more than 290 Indigenous Red Seal apprentices in support of Canada's Housing Plan.
Funded under the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy, the Towards Net Zero Residential Construction project will enable Indigenous apprentices to develop Red Seal trade skills that support the transition to a clean economy and reduce environmental impacts. Trade Winds to Success will help apprentices succeed in their training by addressing barriers to get into the trades, complete their training and find and keep jobs in the skilled trades. Participants will also improve the essential skills needed in trades training so they can pass the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training entrance exam successfully.
The Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy is investing up to $48.8 million, starting in 2024–25, in projects that support trades related to homebuilding. Budget 2024 and Canada's Housing Plan have charted a path to unlocking 3.87 million new homes by 2031. Thousands of new skilled tradespeople will be needed to build these houses. To meet this objective, the Government is making targeted investments under the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy, aimed at developing a skilled, inclusive, certified and productive workforce.
This project funding is part of an effort to bolster investments in high-impact initiatives that provide supports to grow and develop a robust trades workforce that will propel the Canadian economy through the 21st century.
Quotes
"Communities across Canada need housing quickly. Investments like this one in the Towards Net Zero Residential Construction project is growing and training our workforce to build the homes we need while lifting barriers to labour participation and creating good-paying jobs along the way."
– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, Steven MacKinnon
"Tradespeople are critical to our country's future, and the graduates from Trade Winds to Success Training Society are building up the homes, infrastructure and communities that we need here in Alberta. Walking the path of reconciliation is more than acknowledging our history—it also means investing in a brighter collective future. This funding will empower the local urban Indigenous community and ensure they are leaders in building Canada's 21st-century economy. "
– The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Member of Parliament, Edmonton Centre, Alberta
"This vital funding will empower us to train over 290 Indigenous individuals for rewarding careers in Red Seal trades, while also building 13 high-efficiency homes for First Nations and Métis settlements across Alberta. Indigenous people have always made invaluable contributions to Canada's workforce, and as the demand for skilled tradespeople continues to rise, our graduates are ready to lead the way. We are deeply grateful to the Honourable Steven MacKinnon for recognizing the importance of our work and for supporting the next generation of skilled tradespeople."
– Shannon McCarthy, Executive Director, Trade Winds to Success Training Society
Quick Facts
- The Government of Canada invests nearly $1 billion annually in apprenticeship supports through loans, tax credits, Employment Insurance benefits during in-school training, project funding, and support for the Red Seal Program to help build a robust skilled trades workforce for the future that is inclusive, certified and productive.
- According to BuildForce Canada, the construction industry needs to recruit 351,800 new workers by 2033. This need is driven predominantly by the expected retirement of 263,400 workers (21% of the 2023 labour force).
- To further address the growing need for skilled trades workers, Budget 2024 announced a $90-million investment for the Apprenticeship Service to support small and medium-sized employers in creating placements for apprentices and $10 million for the Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness program to encourage Canadians to explore and prepare for careers in the skilled trades.
- The Government of Canada also offers supports to apprentices as they progress through their technical training. Apprentices can access Employment Insurance benefits during technical training and up to $20,000 in interest-free Canada Apprentice Loans.
- Canada.ca/skilled-trades provides Canadians with information about what the skilled trades are, how to become a tradesperson, and what financial supports are available to them while in training.
Associated Links
About the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy
Union Training and Innovation Program
Budget 2024
Canada.ca/skilled-trades
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
Contacts: For media enquiries, please contact: Matthieu Perrotin, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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