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$3.6 million for free training to attract women into construction

Ontario will be spending $3.6 million to provide free training and attract more women and young people to work in the construction industry, as the province seeks to address a labour shortage that could put its housing goals at risk.

The funding will go toward three projects that are expected to help 2,200 women and young people “prepare for meaningful and well-paying careers in the construction trades,” the province said in a news release, as the province projects it will need more than 100,000 new skilled trades workers over the next decade to meet its infrastructure goals, including its target of building 1.5 million new homes by 2031.

However, 82,600 construction workers, or 18 per cent of the industry’s workforce, are set to retire in the next 10 years, according to a report from construction lobby group BuildForce Canada. Many of those who are expected to retire are senior workers with decades of experience and specialized skills. Currently, women make up less than five per cent of Ontario’s construction workforce, the province noted in the release.