THUNDER BAY — Small and medium-sized businesses can apply for up to $20,000 in grants to hire and train first-year apprentices in 39 Red Seal construction and manufacturing trades.
The initiative, made possible through the federal government's Apprenticeship Service Program, supports hiring and training Level 1 apprentices in construction and manufacturing trades.
It also provides additional financial incentives, resources and training to assist with recruiting, onboarding, and retaining apprentices.
Charla Robinson, president of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, said there is a shortage of trades workers.
"Any business from one employee up to 500 employees can apply," Robinson said.
"Then there are financial incentives of $5,000 per apprentice per year for a maximum of two level-one apprentices.
She added that it can reach $10,000 per apprentice, per year if the apprentice is identified from an underrepresented group.
"It's another way to really help to support getting under-represented groups into the trades and to support the businesses that are providing that opportunity," she said.
"The chamber is thrilled to be able to help to get this message out to businesses, especially now when they're starting to think about hiring for the busier construction season. It's good timing to be sharing this with them."
Robinson described under-represented groups as Indigenous communities, women, people of colour, and groups that aren't broadly represented in the construction and manufacturing trades at this point.
"They've been identified as a way to try to broaden the diversity within the trades," she said.
Robinson says the program will help those businesses that are already looking to hire apprentices and be able to pay the wages that they were planning to put in. And the extra funding could allow them to hire two apprentices instead of one.
Robinson also pointed out that someone won't become a skilled tradesperson overnight because an apprenticeship is similar to a university degree in that some of the programs are four or five years.
The Canadian Apprenticeship Service is administered by The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Board, the Canadian Construction Association, BuildForce, SkillPlan and Apprenticesearch.com.
For more information to register your business, visit apprenticesearch.com/cas.
The Chronicle Journal / Local Journalism Initiative
