Registered apprenticeship student, Aurora Erickson, demonstrates her welding skills.Burlington, ON—To combat the lack of skilled labour entering the trades, an Ontario-based HVAC contracting company is partnering with Support Ontario Youth (SOY).
To ensure the construction industry had amble opportunities, ClimateCare Canada will be partnering with SOY by streamlining and simplifying the apprenticeship journey. “We are very pleased to have a partner organization like SOY now available to ClimateCare members,” said Victor Hyman, ClimateCare’s executive director.
According to ClimateCare, a significant challenge for small and medium HVAC contractors has been the recruitment, training and retaining new skilled labour. As explained by Hyman, “I hear from my members and contractors across the country that finding, training and retaining HVAC professionals is the biggest impediment to growing their businesses.” This new partnership will now allow ClimateCare member companies the opportunity to access SOY’s recruiting, candidate screening and apprentice support programs.
SOY’s main goal is to get apprentices into the industry. They do this by helping employers through the apprentice hiring process and assisting employers and apprentices navigate financial aids, access training opportunities, and reduce the burden of managing an apprenticeship education program.
“Support Ontario Youth’s long term vision is to secure professional partnerships with progressive organizations such as ClimateCare, and develop an apprenticeship system that works and is sustainable,” said Glenda Rahn, SOY’s program manager for construction.