Groundbreaking Canadian Skilled Trade Scholarship Program Announced
There is a huge demand for skilled trades candidates in Canada. As workers in this sector are retiring much faster than before, the industry is looking to replace them as quickly as possible. The Ontario government found that the average age of an Ontario skilled trade worker is 47. In the residential trades sector, over 128,400 workers across the country are expected to retire by 2031 and only 102,100 new workers are expected to join the industry. The demand for homes and new living spaces is only going to escalate and so will the demand for those workers. That’s why having skilled trade scholarship programs like Schulich Builders is so imperative.
“In reality, these can be first-class career opportunities with high pay, with pensions, with benefit plans. And again, what we want to do is make sure young people have that opportunity to explore these,” said Ian Howcroft, Skills Ontario CEO.
The Schulich Foundation announced its trailblazing program, Schulich Builders, last week. The scholarship program is devoted to its students and designed to support them in pursuing a career in the skilled trades industry. Since its development, the program has committed more than $3 million to combat labour shortages in Canada and amplify the significance of skilled trades, now and for the future.
“We are proud to promote skilled trades and support students pursuing this rewarding career path,” said Judy Schulich, director of The Schulich Foundation. “Canadians rely heavily on the trades to build and maintain infrastructure critical for prosperous communities. Our challenge today is not having enough of these talented people to meet the demand.”
10 Ontario Colleges, 100 Annual Scholarships
Schulich Builders will award 10 Ontario colleges 100 annual scholarships up to $40,000 per skilled trades student. The program will cover student tuition, tools, and living costs at one of ten of the colleges and priority will be given to students that have been nominated by their secondary school. The participating Ontario colleges include:
- Centennial
- Fanshawe
- Algonquin
- George Brown
- Mohawk
- Sheridan
- Conestoga
- Durham
- Humber
- Loyalist
Each college will award ten scholarships annually. Five $20,000 scholarships will be awarded for one-year certificate programs and five $40,000 scholarships granted to two-year diploma programs. The Schulich Builders program will be the largest skilled trade scholarship program in the country.
“Ontario is facing the largest labour shortage in a generation, which means when you have a career in the skilled trades, you have a career for life. With Schulich Foundation’s skilled trade scholarship program, they are helping to attract and prepare a new generation of skilled trades workers here in Ontario for better jobs and bigger paycheques,” stated the Honourable Monte McNaughton minister of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development.