Ottawa to announce over $350M for skilled trades worker training, recruitment

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-14 18:52:04.0
Tags: [National, Labour, Economy, Infrastructure, Education]

Secretary of State for Labour John Zerucelli is set to announce over $350 million in federal funding targeting skilled trades worker training, recruitment, and infrastructure through the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP) and the 2026 spring economic update. This funding forms part of a broader $6 billion federal initiative under the Team Canada Strong plan to recruit, train, and hire 80,000 to 100,000 new workers with Red Seal certifications by 2030-31 to close a training gap of over 20,000 workers annually. The financial support is split across three streams: increasing the federal temporary share of training equipment costs up to 70 percent for unions and colleges, financing shovel-ready union-run training centre infrastructure projects by next spring, and backing innovation initiatives like artificial intelligence integration and apprentice retention.