Canada’s newest spring economic update is pledging over $6 billion in investments for apprentice trades workers over the next five years.
According to Kelowana MP Stephen Fuhr, the federal investments address a nationwide need to increase the number of trades workers contributing to housing and major infrastructure projects being built around the country.
“We’re going to need people to build houses, as an example,” Fuhr said. Major projects are the other ones. Just B.C. alone has gotten over one third of the major projects that have been announced. We’re gonna need people to work in these mines and all these different things we are doing.”
“We just need a workforce to do it, and we currently don’t have it. So this investment is to make sure that the skilled labour is there when we need it, and we’re gonna need it sooner rather than later.”
The investments were highlighted in Canada’s 2026 spring economic update.
A bulk of the investments are targeted towards apprentices or people beginning their career in the skilled trades.
Apprentices are able to get $400 per week if they are in attending mandatory, in-class technical training up to a total of $16,000. Upon certification in a Red Seal trade, a completion bonus of $5,000 will also be available. This total adds up to $21,000 per apprentice over a five-year period.
Averaging out for each apprentice, Fuhr said funds given to each worker add up to around $21,000 each over five years of their training.
In the economic update, the federal government added that they also want to reduce delays in getting certification; bringing online exams, digital logbooks and “national consistency.
The government said their goal is to reduce the time to get certified by 50 per cent.
Other specific measures to boost trades participation that were outlined in the economic update are:
- Income support for trades workers who are “between work and training”;
- A 4-month job placement;
- A $10,000 wage subsidy for small and medium-sized skilled trades enterprises for first-year employees.
The economic update states that the investments are into the trades are to offset a predicted shortage of trades workers.
The document says that if Canada does nothing to promote the trades, the country will “face a gap of more than 20,000 skilled trades workers per year.”
According to its plan, the government says these investments aim to attract 80,000 to 100,000 skilled trades workers.
In the Okanagan, Fuhr said he expects the investments will make a big impact.
He said Okanagan College, known for its skilled trades programs, could see an influx of applicants entering its programs as a result of the government funding incentivize more students to enter the trades.
Okanagan College itself is pushing for more young workers to enter the trades, especially encouraging women.
He also mentioned that if Kelowna continues to build its aerospace industry, skilled trades jobs will be needed for that industry, as well as construction jobs needed for any potential facilities.
“Between the training offered by KF (aerospace) and Okanagan College, the real estate that’s available on the east side lands (of the Kelowna airport) and the need for skilled people in aerospace, there’s a big opportunity for Kelowna to continue to grow its aerospace footprint,” Fuhr said.