In an effort to meet the growing demand for skilled trades workers in Saskatchewan, the Government of Saskatchewan has announced a $2.5 million investment in pre-apprenticeship training. This funding will enable the expansion of more than 200 additional pre-apprenticeship skills training seats in construction-related trades.
Minister of Immigration and Career Training, Jeremy Harrison, emphasized the importance of a skilled and flexible trades workforce to support the province's economic growth. He stated, "As Saskatchewan continues to grow economically with record investments, population increases, and job gains, we need to ensure the province has the skilled and flexible trades workforce available to facilitate this growth. This targeted seat increase will ensure more learners have the opportunity to train and develop the technical skills required to support Saskatchewan's booming construction industry."
The additional training seats will primarily benefit approximately 20 construction-related trades, including electrical work, carpentry, plumbing, welding, construction trades labourers, and heavy equipment operators. These programs are currently offered at regional colleges, Dumont Technical Institute, and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies.
Vicky Roy, President and CEO of Southeast College expressed gratitude for the investment and highlighted the significance of increasing training seats for skilled trades in the southeast region. She stated, "Investments to boost the number of training seats for skilled trades are crucial in Saskatchewan, particularly for Southeast College, given the significant number of infrastructure projects underway in the southeast region. This generous funding of $2.5 million will add more than 200 seats in construction-related pre-apprenticeship training programs in our province, providing interested learners with the opportunity to access meaningful career paths. By ensuring a skilled and flexible trades workforce, Southeast College will support Saskatchewan's booming construction industry and facilitate the province's economic growth. We are grateful to the Government of Saskatchewan for their commitment to advancing progress and creating a prosperous future for our province."
The funding is expected to expand the number of seats for pre-apprenticeship construction-related trade programs at Southeast College by approximately 36 seats.
The $2.5 million funding, allocated to the training institutions across Saskatchewan, will is intended to provide more access to the programs for those who are looking to have a career in the trades.