Modernizing Ontario's Skilled Trades System

A strong and modern skilled trades sector is vital to Ontario's economic prosperity. The province will introduce legislation today that, if passed, would create a College of Trades to promote careers in skilled trades and modernize the apprenticeship and skilled trades system.

Reviews and Consultations

Creating a College of Trades was a key recommendation of the Compulsory Certification Review (Armstrong Report) released in May 2008. Following the release of this report, the government announced it would introduce legislation to move forward on the recommendation.

Kevin Whitaker, Chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, was appointed in September, 2008 to advise on the college's governance structure, scope and mandate. Whitaker made recommendations after consulting with employers, skilled tradespeople and training providers.

The recommendations in Mr. Whitaker's report are reflected in the proposed legislation.

Ontario College of Trades

The proposed Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009 takes a balanced approach to governance that considers the needs of employers, employees, apprentices, the economy and the public.

The College would:

• Promote careers in the trades and attract more people to them, especially youth and underrepresented groups;


• Help make it easier for internationally trained workers to get certified and find work in the trades in Ontario;


• Set training and certification standards to serve the skilled trades sector and the public interest;


• Conduct research to help make sure Ontario trains the right workers for the future;


• Give the skilled trades sector ownership of critical decisions on issues such as compulsory certification and apprenticeship ratios.

The College's membership would include certified journeypersons and persons who employ them or who sponsor or employ apprentices.

Supporting Apprenticeship

The McGuinty government recognizes that encouraging apprenticeship and skills training is essential to Ontario's future prosperity.

The 2009 Ontario Budget invests $700 million over two years in new skills training and literacy initiatives and increases to existing programs. These measures are designed to respond quickly to the immediate challenges of the global economic slowdown while preparing the province's workforce for the new economy.

Ontario's labour force growth is projected to decline over the coming years as workers retire and fewer young people enter the workforce. To ensure Ontario has the skilled workers it needs for the future, the government has taken significant steps to support apprenticeship growth.

Through the Apprenticeship Enhancement Fund and the Ontario Skills Training Enhancement Program, the government is providing $55 million over three years for infrastructure and equipment at community colleges and training centres - so that apprentices and journeypersons can train in state-of-the-art facilities.

Initiatives to encourage apprenticeship participation include:

• Creating innovative programs to attract youth, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities to apprenticeship training;


• Providing more ways for out-of-school youth to get the qualifications they need to begin apprenticeship training;


• Encouraging employers to hire apprentices through the Apprenticeship Scholarship and Employer Signing Bonus and the Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit.

As a result of the government's investment in apprenticeship, there are 120,000 Ontario apprentices learning a trade today - nearly 60,000 more than in 2003. New annual apprenticeship registrations have increased from 17,100 in 2003 to more than 28,000 in 2009.

The proposed Ontario College of Trades would build on this success and give the sector a more prominent role in recruitment, governance, certification and training.