Ontario Investing $3,491,800 to Train 230 Workers in Toronto

Skills Development Fund investing in the Hospitality & Event Advanced and Continuing Education initiative

TORONTO — The Ontario government is investing $3,491,800 through the Skills Development Fund (SDF) in a Hospitality & Event Advanced and Continuing Education initiative to train 230 workers in Toronto for in-demand careers in hospitality and entertainment. This latest round of funding brings Ontario’s total investment through the Skills Development Fund to up to $1.4 billion.

“Under Premier Ford, our government has an ambitious plan to build Ontario: from new housing that families can call home, to highways and public transit connecting our communities, and clean energy projects powering our economy. But after years of neglect and under-investment in the trades from previous Liberal governments, one in three tradespeople are nearing retirement,”said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “That’s why we’re partnering with local employers, unions, and educators to pass on the expertise and wisdom of the Golden Generation of Skilled Tradespeople to the next generation of students, apprentices, and workers who will build Ontario’s bright future.”

In partnership with the Social Equality & Inclusion Centre, the Ontario government is investing $3,491,800 to continue delivering the Hospitality & Event Advanced and Continuing Education (HEACE) initiative, which delivers industry-relevant training to reskill or upskill underemployed or unemployed individuals, particularly women, youth, newcomers (especially displaced Ukrainians), and members of the BIPOC (black, Indigenous, people of colour) and 2SLGBTQ+ communities to secure meaningful, gainful employment; and meets the demand for food and beverage workers while imparting key transferable skills to advance upward labour mobility.

“The Ontario Government’s $3,491,800 funding of the Hospitality & Event Advanced and Continuing Education initiative is a crucial investment in people, skills, and economic opportunity,” said Michael Parsa, MPP for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill. “This ensures that workers, regardless of their background, have access to the training they need to succeed, creating a more welcoming workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities.”

Through the SDF, the government is investing up to $1.4 billion through SDF’s Training Stream and the Capital Stream which are designed to recruit, train and upskill workers and build or upgrade training centres for the skilled trades. 

Since its launch in 2021, Ontario’s Skills Development Fund has helped connect approximately 600,000 workers train or upskill for careers in the trades in their local communities, including over 92,000 manufacturing workers, over 66,000 construction workers, over 36,000 PSWs and healthcare workers, and over 27,000 mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction workers.

Quick Facts

  • Ontario’s $224 million SDF Capital Stream was launched by Premier Ford in June 2023.
  • People interested in participating in the programs announced today are encouraged to contact the lead organizations of the projects directly.
  • The Capital Stream of the Skills Development Fund is exclusively funded by the Government of Ontario.
  • The Training Stream of the Skills Development Fund is supported through labour market transfer agreements between the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.
  • As the Government of Canada has unilaterally cut over $230 million annually from Ontario’s Labour Market Transfer Agreements, which support employment and settlement service programs, Ontario continues to call for the federal government to reinstate this critical funding for Ontario workers and jobseekers.

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