Barrie funds program tackling shortage of skilled tradespeople and housing crisis

The City of Barrie is addressing a shortage of skilled tradespeople and a lack of affordable housing with a $250,000 boost for an initiative providing paid skilled trades training for those facing employment challenges.

Cara Swan is about to complete the three-month course through the Community Builders’ Trades and Diversity Program in Barrie.

“I’m a single mom with five kids. I’ve always wanted to get into the trades, so when I found out about this program and that they were open to people of all diverse backgrounds, I gave it a try and was lucky enough to get in,” Swan explained.

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The program that launched earlier this year operates in Barrie and Sudbury with a focus on hands-on training in residential construction. It has an 88 per cent success rate in finding graduates full-time employment.

“We know there are 750,000 people who are going to retire from the trades over the next 20 years, and so, its really important that we have those people being trained to be able to build to build homes and build futures,” said Mayor Alex Nuttall.

The program also benefits from a $250,000 grant from Meridian Credit Union.

“This is an opportunity for us to provide jobs and serve an issue around housing, which are two big issues that we have in the Province of Ontario,” said Jay-Ann Gilfoy, CEO Meridian Credit Union.

Brandon Day, Community Builders’ CEO, said the program trains people who haven’t had the opportunity they deserve to have a potentially life-changing career in the trades, plus, “we just happen to be building affordable housing at the same time.”

Between Barrie and Sudbury there are 22 spots to be filled. Applications for the program will be accepted starting January 31.