New Ads Showcase Skilled Trades as a Viable First Option
The Government of Ontario is taking action to attract more people to the skilled trades and employers to hire more apprentices. The province is facing a serious labour shortage which has the potential to get progressively worse. Over the first nine months of 2019, Ontario employers had, on average, 204,000 job openings across all occupations and industries
Today, Monte McNaughton, the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, launched a marketing campaign to highlight good-quality, well-paying and flexible careers in the trades, under the slogan ‘Find a Career You Wouldn’t Trade.’
“We need to do a better job at enticing young people and their parents to the skilled trades,” said Minister McNaughton. “For too long, we haven’t viewed these challenging positions as a viable first option. That needs to change and our Open for Business, Open for Jobs strategy, including our new advertising campaign, will go a long way towards making the skilled trades more attractive.”
“Finding enough skilled works is a problem that many businesses in Parry Sound-Muskoka face” said Norman Miller, MPP. “I am glad to see the government taking steps to address this growing problem in our community”.
The advertising campaign reflects the passion of real skilled tradespeople in their work environments. It features up-close footage of three skilled trades people with in-demand careers and high income potential: a tower crane operator, a steamfitter and an arborist.
The ads are just one part of the government’s strategy to open up the skilled trades for young people and businesses. The government is also investing approximately $75 million in three programs to expose high school students to the trades: $12.7 million in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, $42 million in the Specialist High Skills major program and $20.8 million in a pre-apprenticeship program.
The ads will run digitally, in movie theatres and on Tim Hortons TV across the province.