Algonquin College expresses disappointment after Colleges shut out from new Provincial skilled trade sector funding

Posted on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023

Algonquin College, along with its sister colleges across the province, is expressing disappointment at being shut out of the Ontario government’s recent announcement to invest $224 million to build and upgrade private training centres, and spend another $75 million on their operations and programming.

“Algonquin College prides itself on providing the best opportunities to prepare students for careers in the skilled trades,” said Algonquin College President and CEO, Claude Brulé. “It is surprising and unfortunate that the College sector was excluded from this announcement, given the major role we play in providing the talent pipeline to the skilled trades sector.”

The province faces an escalating shortage of qualified people in key sectors, including the skilled trades, technology and health care. The province estimates nearly 300,000 jobs are going unfilled at this time. Ontario’s colleges will be pivotal to producing graduates with the expertise to fill that demand.

“Algonquin College, and other colleges in Ontario, already offer the highest quality training and provide our learners the technical expertise and the skills critical to these industries,” said President Brulé. “We do this in conjunction with our network of industry partners who help ensure our programs match current standards and provide students with invaluable placement experiences that lead to job-ready graduates.”

Brulé added that Algonquin deeply values the working relationship it has with all its key stakeholders, and is urging the Provincial government to keep working and consulting on collaborative approaches to skills training that will bolster the economy and help more people find rewarding careers.


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