Ontario's skilled trade apprenticeships spike, driven by influx of women

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The Ontario government is touting a banner year for people signing up for skilled trade apprenticeships.

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development announced Tuesday the number of apprenticeship registrations increased from 21,971 to 27,319 last year, Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said.

“We need to ensure students and jobseekers know about the rewarding lifelong careers waiting for them in the skilled trades,” McNaughton, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, said in a statement.

“There is as much merit in being an electrician or a carpenter as there is in being an architect or a lawyer. I’m thrilled more young people are waking up to the promise of good pay, pensions, and purpose-driven work that the skilled trades offer.”

The increase in apprenticeship registrations includes a 28 per cent jump among women, the ministry said.

The province also expanded its skilled trades career fairs for students to more cities this year.

Students in Grades 7 to 12 can learn about 144 skilled trades through hands-on activities and hear from tradespeople and local employers. Last year, 12,800 students, parents, and teachers visited skilled trades fairs in Thunder Bay, Sudbury, London, Mississauga and Ottawa, the ministry said.

Details on the 2023 fairs, cities and dates is expected to be announced later this summer.

“We urgently need skilled workers to meet demand,” Skilled Trades Ontario chief executive Melissa Young said in a statement. “Skilled Trades Ontario is thrilled to be partnering with the ministry to promote these exciting opportunities, break down barriers and empower the next generation of skilled trades professionals to succeed.”

The province says it will need about 100,000 new skilled trades workers over the next 10 years to reach its infrastructure goals, including building 1.5 million new homes by 2031.

About 1.3 million people work in skilled trades careers in Ontario, the province said. At least a third of the workers in Ontario with an apprenticeship or trade certificate are nearing retirement.

In Southwestern Ontario, the labour market will need to replace about 10,700 retiring or departing skilled trades workers over the next decade, according to a forecast by BuildForce Canada, which monitors construction workforce patterns.