March 26, 2008

Ontario Budget Reaction

Province’s $1-billion commitment to skills and training comes at the right time

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

The province’s $1.5-billion commitment to skills development and long-term training has caught the eye of many construction industry officials who worry about projected labour shortages.

“Anything we can do to plug those deficits and shortages will help,” says David Surplis, acting president of the Council of Ontario Construction Associations. “This emphasis on training helps us move in the right direction to help with growing skills shortages.”

At the core of the Liberals first budget of their second mandate, released on Tuesday, March 25, is a $1.5 billion Skills to Jobs Action Plan and an additional $1 billion in new funds for municipal core infrastructure investment.

The objective of the job plan is to train unemployed workers for new careers in growth sectors, expand and increase apprenticeship numbers, invest in and build more college and university infrastructure and provide educational cost assistance.

“The skills training and apprenticeship funding is fantastic, in a general sense, but as an industry we have to do the first part and attract people to our industry,” says Rob Bradford, executive director of the Ontario Road Builders’ Association.

A $355 million Second Career Strategy unveiled in the budget will provide 20,000 unemployed workers with long-term training to help launch them into new well-paying jobs. The government has allocated $75 million over the next three years, increasing to $50 million annually by 2011 to expand apprenticeship training. The Liberals hope to expand the number of apprentices in Ontario to 32,500.

Another $45 million over three years for the Apprenticeship Enhancement Fund to buy state-of-the-art equipment essential for technical training was also noted in the budget.

The government’s initiative to expand not just apprenticeship numbers but the physical capacity to house and train apprentices and focus on skills training was applauded by Paul Charette, chairman of the Canadian Construction Association.

“This falls in step with what we are trying to do in association with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges to help get more funding from the federal government to create more spaces,” says Charette. “This is great news.”

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