The Trades and Tech Truck debuted at the National Homes Show in Toronto.Toronto, ON — Students in Ontario will have access to mobile skilled trades classrooms beginning in the summer of 2024. Three new mobile classrooms will be fully operational and can accommodate 150,000 visitors a year.
“By 2025, one in five jobs in Ontario will be in the skilled trades. These are rewarding, well-paying careers that you can build a family and a life around,” said Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development.
The mobile tech classrooms are 12 meters long and will travel across the province and teach students and young people about the skilled trades. Students will also be able to speak with industry members and learn about local training opportunities, colleges and employers.
The classrooms, built and operated by Skills Ontario, will also feature hands-on learning stations and simulators for electrical systems, welding, crane operation, auto-painting, tire and brake work, heavy machinery and more.
In 2022, Ontario launched its Trades and Tech Truck pilot program. The first truck reached over 40,000 students and young people, visiting more than 50 events across the province from Toronto to Ottawa and Thunder Bay.
Ontario reports that it will need over 100,000 new skilled trades workers this decade.