Fleming College applauds provincial government actions to improve skills training
(LINDSAY, Oct. 26, 2018) – Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott and Fleming College president Maureen Adamson met at Fleming’s Frost Campus in Lindsay to discuss the measures announced by the government earlier this week to improve skills training in the province.
“The new measures will go a tremendous way towards producing a more highly qualified workforce,” said Fleming College President Maureen Adamson. “The response that we have received from employers in our region thus far has been very positive. We’re very pleased the government is taking serious action to streamline and improve skills training.”
“If passed, the Making Ontario Open For Business Act will modernize the apprenticeship system by initiating an orderly wind-down of the Ontario College of Trades, which remains a source of unnecessary and burdensome complexity for skilled trades employment in the province,” said MPP Laurie Scott. “Creating more high-paying jobs and making it easier for apprentices to join the workforce is something I have supported for many years, and is vital to economic growth particularly in smaller communities.”
The government announced that it is terminating the Ontario College of Trades – an important step to help close the skills gap that is hurting businesses and industries throughout the province.
The modernization of skills training is long overdue as growing numbers of employers throughout the province are struggling to find qualified people. The Ontario Skilled Trades Alliance reported last year that up to 41 per cent of the employers it surveyed would hire more people if they had the right skills.
Part of the effort to strengthen the workforce includes reforming apprenticeship training.
“Fleming College can produce more apprentices with the qualifications and expertise to close the skills gap in the Kawartha region and beyond,” Adamson said. “We believe the measures announced this week are a great step forward in recognizing the importance of the skilled trades and present the opportunity to attract a greater number of students to careers in the trades. We are particularly looking forward to offer more opportunities for non-traditional trades students including women, Indigenous students and other diverse groups. This will go a long way to produce jobs for Ontarians.”
Ontario’s colleges continue to champion measures to allow more people to enrol in apprenticeship training and to successfully complete their programs. In particular, colleges are encouraging the government to create a one-window application service to apprenticeship training by expanding the provincial application service for college students to include apprentices.
About Fleming College
Located in the heart of Central Ontario, Fleming College has campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. Named for famous Canadian inventor and engineer Sir Sandford Fleming, the college features more than 100 full-time programs in Arts and Heritage, Business, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, General Arts and Sciences, Health and Wellness, Justice and Community Development, Skilled Trades and Technology, and Continuing Education. Fleming College has more than 5,900 full-time and 10,000 part-time students, and 71,000 alumni.
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Media, for more information please contact:
Sara O’Halloran
Communications Officer, Fleming College
sara.ohalloran@flemingcollege.ca
705.749.5530 x 1366
Christine Bujold
Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Laurie Scott, Minister of Labour
416-325-6955