To help meet the growing demand for skilled workers in Manitoba, the provincial government is providing $500,000 to upgrade technical vocational equipment used to train high school students. This announcement was made by Premier Greg Selinger.
“As Manitoba grows, so does our demand for skilled labour,” said Selinger. “This investment in advanced equipment will allow students to gain more hands-on experience in the classroom, further encouraging them to pursue careers in the trades. Providing more opportunities for young Manitobans to transition from high school into good jobs is critical as we work toward our ambitious target of adding 75,000 more workers by 2020.”
The Manitoba government has invested $13.4 million in technical vocational education and equipment upgrades across the province since 2004, the premier said, adding the investments provide students with access to state-of-the-art equipment that create a pathway to post-secondary education and good jobs.
“By training students in welding, electrical, carpentry, culinary arts and many other occupations, we are meeting labour market needs and helping students find the path to successful careers,” said Selinger. “We are also investing in equipment that will help train students for high-tech jobs in new and exciting fields, such as robotics, aeronautical design and video-game development.”
Some of the equipment purchased with last year’s funding includes:
- a new engine lathe for the millwright program at Winnipeg Technical College,
- a new gas range and oven for the culinary arts program at Winnipeg Technical College, and
- new virtual welders at Margret Barbour Collegiate in The Pas and the University College of the North campus in The Pas.
This funding builds on resources announced by the provincial government last fall to upgrade industrial arts classrooms in rural and northern Manitoba for apprenticeship training. The program, known as Skill Build, is providing $200,000 over the next two years to rural and northern school divisions to upgrade their facilities and buy new equipment such as plasma cutters and small-engine diagnostic equipment.
“Early training in trades and technology provide young Manitobans a path to high-wage, high-skilled jobs that will be in demand in Manitoba for years to come,” said Selinger.
The premier noted that, starting this evening, the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) is hosting a skills summit to ensure the province can meet its ambitious target of adding 75,000 more workers to the Manitoba labour force by 2020. The summit will focus discussions among leaders in business, labour and education and training around five key themes:
- training more young people for the jobs of tomorrow;
- connecting more Manitobans with trades training;
- growing Manitoba’s successful immigration strategy;
- building Manitoba’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit workforce; and
- ensuring every Manitoban who faces barriers to working, has access to training and good jobs.
