'Skilled workers businesses need to both grow and succeed will be present right in Ontario'
Ontario is investing $20 million in training partnerships meant to help job seekers and workers get in-demand skills and connect them with employers looking to grow their business.
The change roughly triples the existing Skills Catalyst Fund program launched in January 2018.
“Nearly one in five jobs over the next five years will be in the skilled trades,” says Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, training and skills development. “We are looking to industry and other partners for innovative solutions to help solve this skills gap.”
To qualify for funding, companies need to form partnerships and demonstrate innovative approaches to training and workforce development.
"This new investment in the Skills Catalyst Fund is significant and sends a signal to businesses that the skilled workers they need to both grow and succeed in the digital economy will be present right here in Ontario," says Iain Klugman, CEO of Communitech.
Businesses, not-for-profits and labour, training and education organizations will be eligible to submit project proposals for the Skills Catalyst Fund in the coming weeks.
Ontario launched 20 successful training projects through the first round of the program, including a simulated workplace environment where 500 students in Sarnia, London, Thunder Bay and the Belleville area worked on real-life industry problems in business, engineering, health and information technology. A partnership between various school boards and the Ontario Masonry Training Centre also introduced 274 middle- and high-school students in Windsor, Ottawa, Kingston, and the Greater Toronto Area to masonry.
