Ontario Investing an Additional $160 Million to Train Workers

Ontario continues to face a historic labour shortage with 300,000 jobs going unfilled in the province daily.

At the same time, more than 800,000 people in Ontario rely on social assistance. The vast majority of these are people who want to find work and contribute to building a stronger province.

This includes hundreds of thousands of people who made a mistake in the past and carry a criminal record and have not reoffended – almost half of whom are on social assistance even 15 years after release from prison.

That is why the government is investing an additional $160 million in the Skills Development Fund (SDF) help at least 100,000 workers get the training needed for purpose-driven careers in their communities, and to help businesses find the talent they need to grow the economy for everyone.

This fourth funding round will prioritize programs that propose innovative training solutions to help people on social assistance and with prior involvement in the criminal justice system find meaningful employment in critical industries like healthcare, auto-manufacturing, information technology, hospitality, and the skilled trades.

Applications to the Skills Development Fund are now open at Ontario.ca/SkillsDevelopment

Through its first three rounds, the fund has supported 596 projects, helping over half a million people around the province take the next step in their careers.

Learn More: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1003416/ontario-investing-an-additional-160-million-to-train-workers