Ontario Construction News staff writer
Ontario Premier Doug Ford visited the LiUNA Local 183 Training Centre in Vaughan on Oct. 5, accompanied by Labour Minister Trevor Jones, to speak with trainees and apprentices about skilled trades training and opportunities for the next generation of construction workers.
The Vaughan campus is LiUNA Local 183ās largest training facility, spanning more than 44,000 square feet. It offers apprenticeship programs, construction skills training and health and safety courses for workers entering the industry and those upgrading their skills.
Apprenticeship programs include construction craft worker, brick and stone masonry, cement finishing and tractor-loader-backhoe operation. The centre provides simulated job-site experience, including facilities capable of accommodating the construction of a full-size, two-storey residential home indoors.
The visit comes as the province supports an expansion of the training campus intended to increase the number of workers entering in-demand construction trades.
In September 2024, Ontario announced more than $26 million through its Skills Development Fund Capital Stream for a new training centre at the Vaughan campus. The project includes a new industrial workshop and classrooms, along with renovations to the union hall.
The expansion was expected to allow LiUNA Local 183 to train nearly 50,000 additional workers, doubling its training capacity to almost 100,000. The programs are intended to address demand for workers in trades including bricklaying, heavy-equipment operation and concrete finishing.
LiUNA Local 183 operates training facilities in Vaughan, Toronto, Barrie, Cobourg, Kingston and Cambridge, providing apprenticeship, construction skills and occupational health and safety training.
