Why we’re spending billions to attract more people into skilled trades

May 24
18 mins

Episode Description

Last month, Mark Carney’s Liberal government announced a $6-billion plan to help recruit, train and hire up to 100,000 new skilled tradespeople over the next five years.

The plan acknowledges a longstanding concern: that Canada has an urgent need for more carpenters, plumbers, millwrights and heavy equipment operators.

Among the new initiatives is a $5,000 bonus when a worker completes their Red Seal certification, a process Ottawa also wants to modernize by introducing online exams, digital logbooks and creating a single national registered apprenticeship number.

On this week's episode of Village Media's Closer Look podcast, we revisit a recent interview with Ian Howcroft of Skills Ontario, an organization that empowers youth to explore careers in skilled trades and technologies.

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