Ontario has launched Skilled Trades Ontario agency to improve trades training and simplify services

The Ontario government has launched Skilled Trades Ontario, a new Crown agency, to promote and market the trades, develop the latest training and curriculum standards, and provide a streamlined user-friendly experience for tradespeople.

These changes will result in more workers for in-demand jobs and prepare Ontario for a strong economic comeback.

The new online services will help apprentices manage their careers in one place with an online one-stop-shop for scheduling classes and exams, submitting forms, paying fees and more. These changes will reduce the skilled labour shortage the province currently faces – estimated at 350,000 by 2025 – by making it easier for more people to learn about and enter the trades, including reducing processing and registration times for applicants from 60 days to 12.

An independent Board of Directors will lead the agency in delivering on the government’s Skilled Trades Strategy to break the stigma surrounding the trades, simplify the system, and encourage employers to hire more apprentices.