Ontario Government Invests Nearly $250,000 For Youth Support Pathways In Skilled Trades.

The Ontario government is investing $241,280 through the Skills Development Training Stream in the Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario’s (JA-NEO) World of Choices Program, announced on Friday morning.

Since its launch in 2021, Ontario’s Skills Development Fund has helped connect more than half a million jobseekers with the skills and training they need to find well-paying and fulfilling careers close to home. Photo courtesy of JA-NEO.

“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is proud to invest in programs that support training and developing career pathways,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “We are happy to support JA-NEO as an exceptional organization that are dedicated to running programs that develop our future workforce and provide young people with real-life exposure to a wide variety of skilled trades jobs.”

JA-NEO is focused on inspiring and preparing young people to succeed by providing them with opportunities to learn financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness skills.

The funding helps JA-NEO run programs throughout the 2024/25 school year that will reach over 2000 full-time students and youth according to a press release. The focus of these programs will be to educate and help students understand the importance of skilled trades. Participants will be linked with community and business leaders to familiarize themselves with potential career pathways and access a real-world glimpse into various careers.

Ontario supports JA-NEO’s innovative plans to reach youth from different communities and populations experiencing unique barriers that limit pathways into skilled trades careers. JA-NEO will work with schools across Northumberland and Peterborough to provide inclusive environments with equitable engagement and learning opportunities in skilled trades.

“At JA Northern and Eastern Ontario (JA-NEO), we are often the first point of contact with students surrounding skills in Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Workforce Readiness.” John McNutt, JA-NEO president and CEO. “With funding from the Skills Development Fund, JA-NEO is continuing to be at the forefront of exposing and providing experiential learning opportunities and essential skills to youth that are needed within the skilled trades sector. By working alongside our industry partners across all Northern and Eastern Ontario we are helping to close the skilled trades gap.”

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