The Ontario Government announced Friday morning that over $5.7 million will be invested in a new Skilled Trades Training Centre right here in Strathroy. The new Centre is in partnership with the Technical Training Group, Lambton College, and the school boards of Thames Valley and London District Catholic. The announcement came from the manufacturing shop at Strathroy’s SDCI high school where Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP, and Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton says this falls in line with the provincial goal.
Strathroy-Caradoc Mayor Joanne Vanderheyden was also present for the announcement and says this project has been in the works for two years, and is a stepping stone to making it a reality.
The timeline for this project is unclear, but the Minister did tell myFM, the municipality is currently in negotiations to lease a local building and the Training Centre will hopefully be open in September.
The Centre, which will have state-of-art equipment, will help young people in Middlesex access the high-quality training they need to start well-paying careers in the skilled trades.
The Training Centre will provide apprentices, secondary and elementary school students with the equipment and training they need to explore careers as Industrial Mechanic Millwrights, Welders and Metal Fabricators, as part of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program. In addition to training and program delivery, the investment will help school boards purchase a lifting crane, welding booth and accessories, robotics, 3D printers and safety equipment, which are all critical to successfully preparing students for these careers.
The program will also connect participants and local employers under one roof to ensure training meets the needs of the local job market and students have the skills needed to match the careers waiting for them.
This project is funded by Ontario’s Skills Development Fund, a more than $200 million initiative that supports innovative programs that connect job seekers with the skills and training they need to find well-paying careers close to home.