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Tools in the Trades Bootcamp to Support Skilled Trades Training for Youth


June 16, 2021

Support Ontario Youth (SOY) will offer up to 2,100 young people training and networking opportunities through 70, one-day boot camps in communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Support Ontario Youth (SOY) will offer up to 2,100 young people training and networking opportunities through 70, one-day boot camps in communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ontario government recently announced an investment of almost $4 million through these SOY programs to provide hands-on training for youth looking to become electricians, plumbers, millwrights, automotive service technicians, and horticulture technicians.

"The Board of Directors/Executive is pleased with the important investment this government is making through its support for Support Ontario Youth’s Tools in the Trades Boot Camp. The boot camp will lead to an important and needed rejuvenation in the trades here in Ontario. Further, these day-long events will help young people from a wide range of backgrounds get better acquainted with a trade and how they can access employment." - Mo Awan, Chair of the Support Ontario Youth Board of Directors.

Youth from approximately 25 communities across Ontario will be able to apply to the boot camps where they will gain experience working with tools, resume writing, and interviewing with real potential future employers. With 500 employers and industry associations and 300 education and training providers expected to be involved in the project, this initiative could have lasting impacts not only on the coming careers of those attending but also on the future of the skilled trades industries.

Running from September 2021 to March 2022, Support Ontario Youth’s “Tools in the Trades Boot Camps” will target Grade 12 students who have an interest in the skilled trades, people who lost their employment during the pandemic, as well as those looking to start a new career in a growing sector or industry, specifically focusing on Indigenous youth, racialized groups, women, and newcomers.

Those attending will get an apprentice starting tool kit valued at $250 and the opportunity to meet with prospective employers in the industrial, construction, and motive power service sectors.

Aligning with Ontario’s Skilled Trades Strategy, which aims to support economic development, break any stigma of the skilled trades, simplify the apprenticeship system, and encourage businesses to hire more apprentices, these boot camps aim to influence the future of the skilled trades and create job-ready apprentices to replace a retiring generation of journeypersons.

"It is not only important but significant that the money from the government is already working to help grow the number of apprentices in the trades in Ontario. My team, led by Kevin Graham, has organized in excess of 60 boot camp events that we believe, and the numbers bear out, that we will see an additional 140 apprentices working in their trade." - Stephen Sell, Executive Director of Support Ontario Youth

Those interested in attending a boot camp can apply on the Support Ontario Youth website at www.supportontarioyouth.ca or email bootcamp@supportontarioyouth.ca for more information.

Ministry of Ontario news release https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1000339/ontario-helping-youth-explore-careers-in-the-skilled-trades

Tools in the Trades Bootcamp to Support Skilled Trades Training for Youth
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Related Topics: Boot Camp Pre-apprenticeship

This Employment Ontario Program is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.

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