Thank you to the member for asking such an important question. Our government recognizes that addressing labour shortages head-on starts with post-secondary education. That is why we continue to support and promote our Ontario colleges skilled trades and apprenticeship programs across the province.

To further enhance opportunities for college students to enter the workforce with job-ready skills, our government expanded the degrees that colleges can offer to now include new three-year degrees and more four-year degrees. Our government also invested over $60 million in funding to support Ontario’s first micro-credentials strategy and made them OSAP eligible, to help workers from all backgrounds upgrade their skills. All these measures were unsupported by the Liberals and NDP.

As Ontario faces a growing labour shortage in the skilled trades, we are making the necessary adjustments for students to enter skilled trades programs because, Speaker, when you have a job in a trade, you have a job for life.

Speaker, that’s why events like Jill of All Trades, hosted at Centennial College, are so important. I am excited to be attending this event tomorrow for the second year in a row with my colleagues. These events provide opportunities for high school girls to experience rewarding career options in the trades and teaches them that the skilled trades are a promising option for them.

Speaker, it’s projected that one in five new job openings in Toronto is likely to be the skilled trades sector by 2025. That is why I am proud that our government is giving women and all students the flexible access they need to pursue innovative training that leads to rewarding careers.

The member is absolutely right; for years, we have seen a real stigma around having a career in the trades, especially directed towards women. This has to end. Not only are trades a great way to get into an in-demand and high-paying career, but trades are essential to ensuring Ontario’s future economic prosperity.

Having grown up in skilled trades family, I know first-hand that the best way to get someone interested in the trades is to expose them to it at a young age.

That is why I was proud to attend the Jill of All Trades event at Centennial College last year and to see all of the young women who attend similar events across the province. This is a one-day event at various college campuses, where high school girls are able to experience rewarding career options in the trades, and it teaches them that the trades are an option for them.

Speaker, it is projected that one in five new job openings in Ontario are likely to be in skilled trades occupations by 2025.

I’m proud that our government will continue to give women and all learners flexible—

Thank you to the member for that great question.

Growing up in a family of plumbers, I witnessed first-hand the importance of tradespeople and the value that they contribute to the local community.

Our government is committed to addressing labour shortages head-on, and that starts with post-secondary education. That is why we continue to advocate and promote our Ontario colleges’ skilled trades and apprenticeship programs across the province. To further enhance opportunities for college students to enter the workforce with job-ready skills, our government expanded the degrees that colleges can offer to now include new, three-year degrees and more four-year degrees in applied areas of study. Our government also invested $60 million of funding to support Ontario’s first micro-credentials strategy and expanded OSAP to ensure that they are eligible, to help workers retain and upgrade their skills.

As Ontario faces a growing labour shortage in the skilled trades, we are making the necessary adjustments for students to enter skilled trades programs, because when you have a job in the trades, you have a reliable career for life.