Gatineau, Quebec — The federal government announced on Monday that about 700,000 skilled trades workers are due for retirement between 2019 and 2028—a gap that the government is hoping to fill through the launch of the Canada.ca/skilled-trades platform.
With demand for skilled tradespeople in Canada steadily increasing, Ottawa is hoping that its new “one-stop-shop” website will connect young Canadians with trades and apprenticeship opportunities across the country.
According to the government’s most recent projections, 10,735 automotive service technician jobs, and 10,032 welding jobs, are expected to open between 2021 and 2025.
To supplement the launch of the new federal skilled trades platform, the government has also announced annual $1 billion investments for apprenticeship grants, loans, tax credits, Employment Insurance benefits during in-school training, project funding, as well as support for the Red Seal Program.
“Promoting the skilled trades to young people is essential to reducing the stigma that still surrounds careers in the trades,” said France Daviault, executive director of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum and member of the advisory board tasked with developing the new campaign.
“These careers offer good quality, well-paying jobs, yet there is a gap in knowledge for many Canadians. With this campaign, I hope to see more young Canadians from all types of backgrounds find a career in the trades and explore the apprenticeship learning pathway.”
This announcement follows shortly after similar news from Ontario’s provincial government, which launched a similar job board platform on Jan. 18.
