Federal initiative aims to green Canada’s construction workforce
Recognizing the urgent need for skilled workers to fuel the development of a low-carbon economy in Canada, the federal government has established a new fund aimed at closing the skills gap in Canada’s construction industry.
Green training fund
With nearly $100 million allocated, the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund seeks to train 15,000 workers over the next four years, enabling them to acquire or upgrade skills in key areas crucial to the green economy.
Proposals for the fund are being accepted until May 15, 2024.
Training institutions, sectoral organizations and associations, indigenous groups, and provincial and municipal governments may apply. To be eligible for funding, projects must align with one of the three target priorities:
1. Low carbon energy and carbon management
2. Green building and retrofitting
3. Electric vehicle maintenance and charging infrastructure
Union-led stream
In addition to the main fund, there is a dedicated stream under the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategies called the Union Training and Innovation Program. Designed to support unions in delivering green skills training, this stream aims to benefit 20,000 apprentices and journeypersons. The call for proposals for the union-led stream will begin on May 31.
CCA encourages employers to capitalize on these programs to help bolster green construction initiatives and enhance the industry’s sustainability.
For more information on this initiative or the work CCA is currently focused on to address these issues, please email Louis-Philippe Champagne, Director of Government Relations and Policy.
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