Cambridge job training centre expansion complete

The Ontario government is celebrating the newly completed expansion of the LiUNA Local 837‘s training centre in Cambridge.

LiUNA represents around 6,000 members in the labour, skilled trades and the industrial sector.

Thanks to a provincial investment of over $8.8 million, the union was able to renovate existing classroom space at 330 Industrial Rd. and construct a 23,791 square-foot expansion. Some of the highlights include a cutting-edge equipment lab and simulator space. New virtual reality technology will allow apprentices to get safe, realistic job site training in the new facility.

In a press release, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, David Piccini, said, “Canada has hospitals to build, highways to expand, and homes that families desperately need, and none of it happens without our skilled tradespeople.

The expanded training centre will be able to train up to 5,000 additional apprentices and construction workers over the next five years.

The premier previously stated that the province will need 400,000 more skilled trade workers over the next decade. In the press release, he said, “This state-of-the-art training centre will connect young people and job seekers in Cambridge and Waterloo Region with the in-demand skills they need to land good-paying careers in construction and build a stronger Ontario for all of us.”

According to the province, it has invested $128.7 million through the Skills Development Fund Capital Stream to expand and modernize training facilities across Ontario.