Ontario Supporting Jobs and Affordable Housing in Georgina
Innovative training project will prepare up to 100 job seekers for construction careers
The Voice of Canada News:
GEORGINA – The Ontario government is helping more people find a career in the trades and getting shovels in the ground faster on affordable housing projects by investing more than $4 million through Skills Advance Ontario to support a local construction training program.
The program will be run through Skills Ontario, which connects job seekers with the sector-specific employment and training, and employers with the services they need to recruit the right workers.
Led by Georgina Trades Training Inc. (GTTI), the project will prepare up to 100 job seekers for construction-related professions and use the skills learned to help build new modular housing units. The training facility will be located in the Town of Georgina.
“This project shows how our government is partnering with local communities to address economic challenges and help more people find work in the trades,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. “Many communities have been hit hard by the pandemic, and as we continue to reopen Ontario’s economy, effective training initiatives will be an essential part of our efforts to get everyone back on the job.
“By providing funding for this project in Georgina, we’re giving young people a chance to learn new skills and start careers in the skilled trades,” said Caroline Mulroney, York-Simcoe MPP and Minister of Transportation and Francophone Affairs. “This project will provide good jobs, spur economic development and provide affordable housing in our region.”
“As a founding partner of GTTI, The Town looks forward to continuing this partnership with the development of the Skilled Trades Institute,” said Margaret Quirk, Mayor of Georgina. “This is a great opportunity with far-reaching economic and social benefits in providing post-secondary opportunities closer to home for residents, addressing skilled trades shortages while creating affordable housing for those who need it.”
“Acute shortages in the skilled trades have become a serious problem for Ontario’s economy that requires bold, creative thinking to come up with solutions,” said John De Faveri, Chair of GTTI. “Not only are we attracting and training post-secondary school graduates as well as multi-barrier candidates to consider a career in skilled trades, we are at the same time creating a unique model for municipalities that clearly speaks to affordable housing.”
Over the coming weeks and months, Georgina Trades Training Inc. will begin hiring staff for the project and finalize the training curriculum. The start of training is projected for January 2021.
QUICK FACTS
The Town of Georgina is supporting the project with $2.6 million in funding and is leasing the land that the housing units will be built on as part of the training project. The new project is one of 50 current SkillsAdvance Ontario projects across the province. Five of these projects are dedicated to skills training in the construction sector.
The Employment Ontario network offers a range of services and supports that help businesses find talent and connect job seekers to training and job opportunities.
