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Home » News » Government of Canada invests in skills training for workers and job-seekers in the Aerospace sector
Published: November 8, 2022
The Canadian economy has made strides towards recovering from the pandemic, having achieved record low unemployment rates. However, significant skills and labour shortages continue to affect many sectors and investments in training are needed to re-build a strong and resilient workforce that can meet the demands of today’s economy. Each sector of our economy is unique and often requires tailored approaches to workforce solutions and skills development to remain adaptable and responsive to the changing labour market.
Today, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Helena Jaczek, on behalf of Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced that the Government of Canada is providing over $39 million under the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (SWSP) to the Canadian Council for Aviation & Aerospace (CCAA)’s Industry Led Training for the Aviation and Aerospace Sector project. This investment will support the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a new technical training and certification system for key occupations in aerospace. Up to 900 new and current aerospace workers in Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia will benefit from this investment.
This project will produce over 2,000 hours of new digitized training content that will offer employers the tools to provide on-the-job training for workers, from entry level up to full certification – the first of its kind in Canada. It will enable employers to use the college educational system, providing another pathway for workers to enter the aerospace sector. This investment will also provide wage subsidies to support on-the-job training, and wrap around supports, such as funding for childcare and transportation, to help workers overcome barriers, including Indigenous peoples, newcomers, persons with disabilities, racialized Canadians, women, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.
First announced in Budget 2021, the SWSP helps key sectors of the economy implement solutions to address their current and emerging workforce needs by funding organizations to deliver projects that focus on a range of industry-driven activities. These include training and reskilling workers, helping employers retain and attract a skilled and diverse workforce and other creative solutions to help sectors address labour market needs. It will also support equity-deserving groups by promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce and providing wrap-around supports as needed to those facing barriers to participation.
“The labour market is rapidly growing and evolving, outpacing employers’ abilities to find workers. Through our Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, we’re addressing labour shortages in key sectors, like aviation and aerospace, by making sure that all Canadians, including women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, racialized Canadians and other marginalized people have the skills they need to seize emerging job opportunities in this innovative field. We’re investing in the Canadian Council for Aviation & Aerospace so that they can continue to provide targeted support to Canadians across the country with unique, high quality training that will help them secure good jobs in the aerospace sector.”
– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough
“Canada’s aerospace sector is a strong driver of innovation in research and development. Our government is committed to continue working in partnership with the industry to meet our defence, research and transportation needs while also ensuring our procurements support the creation of jobs in the aerospace industry and participation of under-represented groups for years to come.”
– Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Helena Jaczek
“Our Government’s funding to the Canadian Council for Aviation and Aerospace will help make training more accessible and facilitate the upskilling of employees in the aviation and aerospace industry – supporting a future-ready workforce in the transportation sector and helping the Canadian aviation sector make a strong recovery from the impacts of the pandemic.”
– Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra
“Over the past few years, we have made significant investments to make Canada the green supplier of choice in the aerospace industry. Today’s announcement will contribute to securing the labour force and expertise needed for the decades to come.”
– Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne
“This funding will make a significant contribution to addressing the critical labour and skills shortage in the Aviation and Aerospace industries. The Industry Led Training Program will provide employers with a system to train new hires who have no prior experience or formal education. It will also be an important tool for upskilling the existing work force.”
– Robert Donald, Executive Director, Canadian Council for Aviation & Aerospace
“Addressing critical labour shortages to ensure we have the workforce now and into the future is crucial. The ongoing success of Canada’s aerospace industry rests on the strength of its highly trained workforce. This announcement in support of Industry Led Training is an important initiative to ensure we’re supporting workers and industry.”
– Mike Mueller, President and CEO, Aerospace Industries Association of Canada