Saskatchewan government announces over $4M in funding for skills training programs

The government of Saskatchewan says more funding will be provided for skills training programs in the province.

On Monday, the government announced approximately $4.38 million in funding for the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC) and other training institutions to create more than 100 new seats in key, high-demand training programs.

Funds will be allocated to expanding skill training programs in sectors including health care, construction and welding to support the labour needs of businesses.

Skills programs include welding, health-care aide and continuing care aide programs, medical lab assistant, electrical applied certificate, steel stud and drywall programming and introduction to scaffolding.

“Saskatchewan is making significant investments in training our provincial workforce as we enter a period of strong growth coming out of the pandemic,” Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison stated on Monday.

“This funding will prioritize training for individuals who are under-represented in the workforce, it will promote a more diverse and inclusive workforce, and it will grow the number of skilled workers in high-demand occupations in communities across Saskatchewan.”

The province said the funding will also support actions of the Saskatchewan Growth Plan to ensure under-represented groups are enabled to participate in the economy.

According to the government, new training opportunities will be targeted at Indigenous individuals and will be delivered through partnerships between training facilities and communities.

“The expansion of the Tiny House Project is one such project, and will provide Indigenous apprentices with work experiences, while working towards their journeyperson certificates by building small, modular houses in their local communities,” the government said in Monday’s announcement.

Funding is drawn through the Canada-Saskatchewan Labour Market Transfer Agreements and provided by the SATCC and several other training institutions.