The Ontario government is marking the completion of the Li UNA Local 837 training centre expansion in Cambridge.
Li UNA stands for roughly 6,000 members working in labour, skilled trades, and industrial jobs.
With a provincial funding boost of more than $8.8 million, they upgraded classrooms at 330 Industrial Rd. and added a new 23,791 square-foot space. Highlights include a high-tech equipment lab and simulator area. The facility now features virtual reality tools that let apprentices safely experience real job site scenarios.
Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development David Piccini said in a statement, “Canada has hospitals to build, highways to expand, and homes that families desperately need, and none of it happens without our skilled tradespeople.”
This larger training centre will be able to support up to 5,000 more apprentices and construction workers over the coming five years.
The premier has previously noted that Ontario will require an extra 400,000 skilled trade workers within the next decade. In the announcement he added, “This state-of-the-art training centre will connect young people and job seekers in Cambridge and Waterloo Region with the in-demand skills they need to land good-paying careers in construction and build a stronger Ontario for all of us.”
According to provincial figures, $128.7 million has been invested through the Skills Development Fund Capital Stream to upgrade training sites across Ontario.
