Ontario Investing Nearly $27 Million to Train Over 2,600 Carpenters

“In the face of tariff threats to Ontario workers and jobs, it’s more important than ever that we keep investing in our workers, so they have the skills and training they need to succeed,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Today’s investment will help more than 2,600 workers find rewarding careers in the skilled trades, so they can secure better jobs and bigger paycheques in communities across Ontario.”

The following five union locals of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBCJA) will receive up to $13 million in funding to train an additional 1,175 carpenters through the Skills Development Fund (SDF) Capital Stream:

• UBCJA Local 2486 is receiving $3,192,261 for the construction of a new training centre in Sudbury that will create training and career opportunities for people from Northern and Indigenous communities.
• UBCJA Local 494 is receiving $1,806,028 for a two-story addition to their existing training centre in Windsor that will create new shop and office spaces and approximately 5,612 sq. ft. of training space.
• UBCJA Local 1946 is receiving $1,181,608 for an expansion project in London that will include a 5,300 sq. ft. addition to their existing facility for carpentry and drywalling.
• UBCJA Local 785 is receiving $3,492,683 to expand their facility in Cambridge by approximately 60 per cent. The expansion would include more training floorspace, add four larger classrooms, a full functioning shop, washrooms, an exercise room and a meeting hall.
• UBCJA Training Centre Local 93 in Ottawa is receiving $3,203,651 for the expansion of their existing facility.

Ontario is also investing up to $14 million through the SDF Training Stream to support the expansion of UBCJA’s Carpenters’ Regional Council Workforce Development Program to include other industries, such as manufacturing and health care workers. The innovative training program will train up to 1,450 carpenters by bringing together UBCJA locals and training centres, employers and key community partners to develop a resilient workforce and empower workers with barriers to education and meaningful employment.

“By investing in carpenter training, we are helping to train the next generation of workers – including women and young people – to build Ontario’s bright future,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration Training and Skills Development. “Workers can benefit from the wisdom of experienced tradespeople, gain the necessary skills for lifelong careers in the construction trades and unlock their potential. Because a career in the skilled trades is for everyone.”

Over the next decade, Ontario is expected to need more than 500,000 workers to fill job openings in skilled trades-related occupations. The projects announced today are examples of how Ontario is partnering with labour organizations, employers and local organizations through the SDF to increase their capacity to train and upskill workers for in-demand careers in the trades across key industries.

Ontario’s total investment through the Skills Development Fund is up to $1.4 billion. Since the province launched the program in 2021, Ontario has supported the building of training facilities and delivery of training programs that are projected to support over one million workers across the province.

As Ontario continues to grow, the SDF will help ensure skilled workers are trained and ready to enter rewarding careers in in-demand sectors in the province.

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