Ontario supporting more participation in skilled trades

Ontario is preparing 200 people to become apprentices by providing training opportunities through the construction of Pan Am and Parapan Am Games infrastructure projects.

The province is investing $3 million over two years — $1.5 million from the province’s $42-million Promotion, Celebration and Legacy Strategy — to train an additional 200 pre-apprentices at Games venue sites. Trainees will develop their job skills and gain valuable work experience with the skilled trades organizations that have been contracted to build and support facilities for the 2015 Games. Projects such as the Pan Am and Parapan Am Athletes’ Village and the Pan Am and Parapan Am Athletics Stadium will prepare trainees for apprenticeships in a broad range of trades, from carpentry to electrical work.

“A strong skilled trades sector is crucial to Ontario’s long-term economic prosperity,” said Brad Duguid, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. “Expanding the Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program to include Pan Am and Parapan Am Games projects will help 200 additional people get invaluable work experience while leaving a legacy of new and improved Ontario sport and recreation facilities for generations to come.”

www.ontario.ca