Niagara College gets $821,000 from Province to boost skilled trades training

Niagara | Niagara on the Lake | Welland | Education | Politics |

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Published August 21, 2023 at 3:34 pm

Niagara College President Sean Kennedy says the provincial grant will support the key role that Niagara College plays in meeting the needs of industry and employers, and training students for in-demand careers as apprentices in the skilled trades.

Niagara College got a $812,775 boost from the Province to increase its pre-apprenticeship training programs in skilled trades.

Niagara College’s current pre-apprenticeship training project is providing 45 students who are interested in working in the trades gain the skills and experience they need in the automotive service, electrical contractor, and industrial millwright fields so they can earn bigger paycheques for themselves and their families.

“Niagara College is grateful for this provincial investment which will support the key role that Niagara College plays in meeting the needs of industry and employers, and training students for in-demand careers as apprentices in the skilled trades,” said Sean Kennedy, President of Niagara College.

The province says there’s a shortfall of over 300,000 unfilled jobs in Ontario, many of which are in the skilled trades.

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff says the skilled trades are needed to help meet the province’s goal of 1.5 million new homes by the year 2031 as outlined in Bill 23, the aptly-named More Homes Built Faster Act.

“Ontario’s skilled trades are vital to the growth of the economy and our government’s Plan to Build strategy, offering careers that lead to secure jobs and a good quality of life,” said Oosterhoff.

“We know in-demand jobs in the skilled trades and other critical sectors continue to grow and this important funding helps local postsecondary institutions like Niagara College close the skills gap.”

The first intake of the pre-apprenticeship program at Niagara College’s Welland Campus began in May 2023 with 15 students in each of the three streams: Automotive Service Technician; Electrician – Construction and Maintenance, and Industrial Millwright Mechanic.

The Province says by 2026, one in five job openings in Ontario are projected to be in the skilled trades and that the construction industry will need to hire almost 100,000 additional workers due to retirements and job growth the same year.

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