Provincial Advisory Meeting Highlights Skilled Trades Collaboration

On May 5, 2026, the Skilled Trades Regional Networks (STRN) welcomed industry, education, labour, and community partners from across Ontario to the Toronto Congress Centre for its Provincial Advisory Meeting, held during the Skills Ontario Competition.

Representatives from small, medium, and large employers, unions, employer associations, secondary and post-secondary institutions, and workforce development organizations came together to strengthen partnerships, share insights, and discuss strategies to support Ontario’s future skilled trades workforce.

Held alongside the Skills Ontario Competition — one of the province’s largest celebrations of skilled trades excellence — the meeting highlighted the importance of collaboration between industry, education, and community organizations in supporting the next generation of skilled trades professionals.

Led by ApprenticeSearch.com and Skills Ontario in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Skilled Trades Regional Networks initiative has expanded to 12 Regional Networks across Ontario, creating opportunities for students to explore, experience, and pursue careers in the skilled trades.

Bringing Partners Together

The meeting opened with welcome remarks and an overview of HIEC’s workforce development initiatives, including ApprenticeSearch.com and the Ontario Career Lab.

Attendees also received updates on the continued growth and impact of the Skilled Trades Regional Networks, along with provincial labour market trends, regional insights, and emerging opportunities and challenges impacting Ontario’s skilled trades sector.

Discussions throughout the morning focused on strengthening collaboration between employers, educators, unions, and community organizations to better prepare students and job seekers for rewarding careers in the skilled trades.

Making the Case for Experiential and Work-Integrated Learning

A featured presentation by Andrew Bieler, Director of Research & Programs at the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER), explored the growing importance of work-integrated learning opportunities in helping young people build meaningful career pathways.

The presentation highlighted how stronger collaboration between employers and education partners can expand access to experiential learning opportunities while better aligning workforce development efforts with labour market needs.

“Students expect their education to lead to opportunities. Employers are struggling to access skilled talent, and WIL remains the best way to bridge school and work,” said Andrew. “Employers need work-integrated learning to build that long-term view of creating an ongoing talent pipeline for their organization.”

Attendees also discussed how employers and educators can work together to create more opportunities for students to explore skilled trades careers through hands-on learning and industry connections.

Industry Leaders Share Perspectives

A key highlight of the meeting was the Industry Insights Panel featuring:

• Isabel Dopta, Program Director of Careers NOW!, Food and Beverage Ontario
• Lieutenant-Commander Chris Elliott, CD, Commanding Officer, HMCS Hunter and Strategic Outreach Officer, Royal Canadian Navy
• Eddie Wall, Occupational Health and Safety Instructor, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 128

Panellists shared valuable perspectives on workforce development, industry engagement, and the evolving needs of employers across sectors.

“There are opportunities in Ontario that are largely unknown, and there are pathways for young people to gain skills, training and experience while they’re still in high school,” noted Chris.

The discussion emphasized the importance of increasing awareness of skilled trades careers, creating accessible entry points for youth and job seekers, and strengthening pathways between education and employment.

“Food and beverage manufacturing is really the best-kept secret,” said Isabel. “It’s actually the number one manufacturing sector employer in the province, with 125,000 direct employees and growing.”

Speakers also highlighted the importance of mentorship, experiential learning, and industry partnerships in supporting long-term workforce success.

“We encourage young people to do the research, reach out, ask questions and visit training facilities,” said Eddie. “Taking a tour and seeing the work firsthand can really open people’s eyes to the opportunities available and help them better understand what a career in the skilled trades looks like.”

Addressing Ontario’s Skilled Trades Workforce Challenge

The conversations at the Provincial Advisory Meeting come at a critical time for Ontario’s economy and workforce.

Recent federal and provincial economic reports — including Canada’s Spring Economic Statement and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Report — continue to highlight the growing demand for skilled labour to support infrastructure, housing, manufacturing, transportation, and economic growth across the province.

At the same time, Ontario is expected to need hundreds of thousands of additional skilled trades workers in the coming years as retirements, population growth, and major investments continue to reshape workforce demands.

As industries across sectors face ongoing labour shortages, stronger collaboration between industry and education has never been more important. Creating meaningful opportunities for students to explore the skilled trades through experiential learning, mentorship, and employer engagement will be critical to building awareness, strengthening pathways, and preparing the next generation of skilled trades professionals.

The time to act is now. By working together, employers, educators, unions, and community partners can help ensure Ontario has the workforce needed to meet future economic opportunities and challenges.

Continuing the Conversation Across Ontario

The Provincial Advisory Meeting also provided an opportunity to announce the upcoming Regional Network Meetings taking place across Ontario this spring.

These meetings will continue important conversations around workforce development, regional collaboration, and strengthening skilled trades pathways across the province.

Participants are encouraged to register for their upcoming regional meeting to continue building connections, sharing ideas, and identifying collaborative solutions that support Ontario’s skilled trades workforce.

Meeting details and registration information are available at:
strn.apprenticesearch.com/events

Share Your Success Stories and Best Practices

The Skilled Trades Regional Networks are built on collaboration, innovation and the sharing of ideas that help strengthen pathways into the skilled trades across Ontario. We encourage employers, educators, industry partners and community organizations to share successful initiatives, partnership models, programs or stories that are making an impact in their region.

By highlighting these experiences, we can continue learning from one another and showcase the meaningful work happening across the province to support skilled trades awareness, engagement and workforce development.

If you have a success story or best practice you would like to share, please contact strn@apprenticesearch.com.

Looking Ahead

The Provincial Advisory Meeting reinforced the importance of collaboration in addressing Ontario’s workforce needs and strengthening pathways into the skilled trades.

By bringing together employers, educators, professional associations, unions, and community partners, the Skilled Trades Regional Networks continue to create opportunities for meaningful dialogue, innovation, and action across the province.

As demand for skilled trades professionals continues to grow, partnerships like these remain essential to ensuring students and job seekers are aware of the opportunities available and supported in pursuing rewarding careers in the skilled trades.

Participants are also encouraged to share successful initiatives, programs, and regional best practices that support skilled trades career pathways and workforce development. If you have a best practice to share, please contact Kathryn Dunmore at kdunmore@hiec.on.ca.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to this year’s Provincial Advisory Meeting. We look forward to continuing the conversation at the upcoming Regional Network Meetings across Ontario.

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