Ontario Is Now Making It Easier To Get A Job In Trades & Here's How

If you've ever wanted to get into trades work, well, Ontario is making it easier to land a job in this field.

In a news release posted on January 25, the provincial government unveiled a new Crown agency that's geared to making trades training better (and easier).

According to the Ministry of Labour, Skilled Trades Ontario will "promote and market the trades, develop the latest training and curriculum standards, and provide a streamlined user-friendly experience for tradespeople."

This includes hooking apprentices up with new online services that will allow them to easily access their class schedules and exams, send in forms, pay fees and more. Before this, prospective skilled trades workers had to go through a complicated process in which they had to do a combination of submitting documents by mail, contacting people by phone and visiting offices in person.

"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," government officials said.

Ontario recognizes 144 careers as skilled trades, spanning from working in construction to cooking at a restaurant.

The government has created several incentives for Ontarians looking to kickstart their careers, like by extending the jobs training tax credit, which could give eligible Ontarians up to $2,000 back for participating in a job training program.

And, through the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, prospective tradespeople can get up to $4,200 in financial support while they finish their in-class learning.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.