What to know
- The federal government is proposing a $6-billion investment over five years to train and hire up to 100,000 trade workers, as demand is expected to exceed 1.4 million workers by 2033.
- A $2-billion recruitment push will fund paid entry-level trade experiences for youth and offer $10,000 wage subsidies to employers hiring apprentices.
- New supports aim to boost apprenticeship completion rates, including $400 weekly payments during training and a $5,000 completion bonus for Red Seal certification.
- Additional funding targets training access and system gaps, including modernizing certification, expanding union-led training centres, and creating new trade pathways through the Canadian Armed Forces.
Canada’s federal government is launching a new program to encourage more young people to pursue careers in trade and tackle youth unemployment.
As part of its Spring Economic Update unveiled on Tuesday, the government has proposed a $6-billion investment over five years dedicated to training and hiring up to 100,000 trade workers.
According to the plan, due to retirement and economic growth, as well as investments in housing and infrastructure, Canada will need over 1.4 million trades workers by 2033. At the same time, young workers are not joining the industry.
“In 2024, more than 100,000 new apprentices registered, but only about 34,000 completed their apprenticeship. If nothing changes, Canada will face a persistent gap of more than 20,000 skilled trades workers per year,” the Spring Economic Update states.
In addition, the government says a lot of young Canadians are also missing out on well-paid and long-term career opportunities by not joining the trades industry.
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The new program proposed by the government, named Team Canada Strong, is divided into several measures, from recruit to hire.
Firstly, the government is proposing a $2-billion over five years to recruit more young people to the trades industry, through providing:
- Paid entry-level work experiences in trade to youth between the ages of 15–30, which will lead to apprenticeship.
- $10,000 in wage subsidies to help employers to hire, train, and keep new apprentices.
The federal government is also aiming to make trades training easier for workers, with a $331-million, five-year investment to help workers get the Red Seal certificate, including for:
- Modernizing the Red Seal program, reducing certification delays and establishing consistency nationwide through online books, exams, and secure credentials.
- Expanding the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP), to allow union-led training centres to increase their capacity.
Team Canada Strong also includes a $3.4 billion investment to address issues that keep apprentices from completing their training and getting hired, including:
- Providing apprentices with a $400 weekly payment while they attend technical training classes, offering $16,000 per apprentice.
- Offering a $5,000 bonus for those who complete training and obtain the Red Seal trade certificate.
The plan also includes measures to make it easier for Canadians to join the trades industry through the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). For that, the government proposed investing $250 million to expand trades training through CAF.
With this investment, the government hopes to expand Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers programs’ hands-on training, and pilot a new pathway from CAF to trades, offering paid part-time experiences for participants.
