The Conservative government is preparing new budget measures to boost skilled trades in Canada, and one option under consideration would require companies to promise apprenticeship training as part of any bid for major procurement contracts.
Addressing Canada’s growing labour and skills shortage – along with balancing the budget by 2015 – is shaping up as a dominant theme of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s 2013 budget, which is expected within weeks.
Part of the government’s plan is to challenge the bias that exists among young Canadians who see a university degree as more valuable than going to college to learn a skilled trade.
To bridge that gap, Ottawa is said to be seriously considering the pre-budget proposals from Polytechnics Canada, a group representing 11 trades-focused colleges approved to offer bachelor degrees that are equivalent to a university degree.