Ontario’s skilled trades workers are helping build the roads, highways, hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure our province needs. With growing demand for skilled workers and continued economic uncertainty caused by U.S. tariffs, the Ontario PC government is taking action to train the next generation of workers and create more opportunities for young people to build rewarding careers.
Over the next decade, Ontario will need 400,000 additional skilled trades workers to meet growing demand. By 2035, one in six job openings in the province is expected to be in a skilled trades-related occupation.
That’s why our PC team is making significant investments to help more young people enter the trades, including:
- $41.5 million through Pre-Apprenticeship and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) to introduce young people to the skilled trades and help them get started.
- $146.7 million through the In-Class Enhancement Fund to strengthen apprenticeship training and provide workers with the skills employers need.
- $29 million through the Apprenticeship Capital Grant and $5.5 million through the Tools Grant to improve training facilities and give apprentices access to modern equipment and tools.
- More than $64 million to create 4,000 new apprenticeship training seats each year, expanding access to hands-on training across the province.
We’re also making it easier to enter the skilled trades by modernizing the apprenticeship system and providing a one-window service through Skilled Trades Ontario for registration, examinations and certification.
These efforts are delivering results. Ontario now has more than 95,000 registered apprentices, with 14,000 new registrations and 9,100 apprenticeship completions in 2026. Last year, more than 57,000 students, parents and jobseekers attended Level Up! Career Fairs across 12 communities, helping introduce more young people to opportunities in the skilled trades.
As President Trump’s tariffs continue to threaten Ontario jobs and industries, building a strong, skilled workforce is more important than ever.
Through our historic $236 billion infrastructure plan, Ontario’s PCs are creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs while building the infrastructure our communities need to grow.