Technical Schools and Trade Schools in Ontario, Canada
Ontario, Canada should be at the top of your list of potential locations to launch or expand your career. The province, and particularly its capital Toronto, offers a wide range of professional education opportunities that speak to a diverse talent pool. For example, Progress Report 2008 reveals that Ontario instituted a $1.5-billion Skills to Jobs action plan for residents looking to start a new career. Also, the Second Career Strategy, a $355-million program, offers financial backing for mid-career changers. Other trade and technical education initiatives of note include:
- Reaching Higher. Ontario's flagship $6.2 billion plan improves accessibility, affordability and quality at post-secondary schools
- Room to Grow. An additional $75 million spread out over 2008, 2009, and 2010 to expand apprenticeship opportunities--rising to $50 million annually by 2011-2012
- Costs Covered.More than 500,000 post-secondary students (from technical and trade schools to universities) can apply for $150 of coverage for school supplies
Ontario Vocational Schools Feed Its Burgeoning Economy
The employment opportunities and earnings potential of the Ontario service-producing sector are choice. According to Statistics Canada, Ontario's trade industries employed 988,400 professional in June 2009. In the same year, Ontario's manufacturing industry employed 778,600, while transportation and warehousing employed 307,400 people. On the salary front, in July 2009 trades, transport and equipment operators in Canada averaged $877.65 in weekly salary and $21.65 per hour. For trades professionals working in Canadian provinces, union coverage means significantly more income--about $166 extra per week over non-union employees.
In the immediate future, Ontario will be looking to expand its global presence in several key industries. For example, employment in professional, scientific and technical services grew by 6.3 percent from June to July 2009, and the services-producing sector of Ontario's economy grew by an astonishing 28.6 percent in the same month. Earn a vocational schools degree, diploma or certificate and position yourself to take advantage of the growth.
