Government of Canada Launches Campaign to Promote Skilled Trades

The Government of Canada has launched an advertising campaign to promote the skilled trades as a strong first-choice career path for youth and young adults.

Details were announced by Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.

Recent projections estimate about 700,000 skilled trades workers are expected to retire between 2019 and 2028, creating an ever-growing need to recruit and train thousands more.

Also launched as part of this campaign is Canada.ca/skilled-trades, a comprehensive website that offers a one-stop national repository for information about the skilled trades. The site will help young Canadians learn about the more than 300 skilled trades in Canada and the Red Seal trade designation. The site also highlights in-demand trades in each region and available financial support offered by the Government of Canada. The campaign will reach youth and young adults through popular social media platforms, websites, campus billboards, public transit and national broadcast media.

To further support more Canadians to join the skilled trades, the Government of Canada is investing nearly $1 billion annually in apprenticeship supports through grants, loans, tax credits, Employment Insurance benefits during in-school training, project funding, and support for the Red Seal Program, in addition to existing funding programs. Announced in Budget 2019, the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy will hope to strengthen existing apprenticeship supports and programs.

canada.ca