Manitoba post-secondary institutions say governments need to increase the number of apprenticeships available if they actually want to get more people into trades.
The federal government said in its spring fiscal update last week it plans to allocate $6 billion to recruit, train and hire new trade workers.
The Team Canada Strong initiative aims to hire up to 100,000 new Red Seal trade workers over the next five years.
Assiniboine College president and CEO Mark Frison said last week the announced measures — which focus on financial incentives — are “misplaced.”
Federal policymakers “tend to focus on tax credits and promotion,” he said in an interview on CBC’s Up to Speed.
“Yet on the Prairies … the trades are actually the best value for money you can take in post-secondary. Lowest cost [with] the highest return.”
As part of the federal initiative, employers would get up to $10,000 in subsidies for an apprentice’s first-year salary. Apprentices who obtain certification in a Red Seal trade would also get a one-time $5,000 completion bonus.
The federal government also plans to provide apprentices with a weekly income top-up of $400 while they attend mandatory technical training.
Frison said what’s actually preventing Manitobans from getting into trades is the long waitlists they face when applying to programs that would teach them the skills they need.
“In programs like automotive and electrician, heavy-duty mechanic, carpentry, power engineering, welding … sometimes there just aren’t enough seats,” Frison said.
“Every time I hear folks get excited about ‘Oh we’re going to run a promotion campaign to try to convince people to be in the trades.’ Hey, on the Prairies, people are already convinced. We just need to have more seats for them.”
LISTEN | Government needs to expand trade apprenticeship seats, Assiniboine College says:
The federal government said Canada needs 1.4 million additional trade workers by 2033, with the country facing a persistent gap of more than 20,000 skilled trades workers per year if nothing changes.
Fred Meier, president and CEO of Red River College Polytechnic, said Prime Minister Mark Carney needs the workers to realize his vision of fast-tracked nation-building projects.
The Team Canada Strong initiative “is sound,” Meier said last week. “The one piece that we have not heard yet is around the capacity within the system.”
Meier said there are waitlists for programs offering pre-employment programs preparing students for apprenticeships, with skilled trades like electrical, plumbing and HVAC in high demand at the college.
“The demand before the federal government announcement is quite strong,” he said. “Our capacity to meet that — we just don’t have that yet.”
Frison said Canada needs to work directly with the provinces to come up with solutions, calling Manitoba’s policies on apprenticeships “restrictive.”
Fewer apprentices in Manitoba since ratio changed
In 2024, the province restored a 1-to-1 apprentice-to-supervisor ratio, reversing changes by the previous Progressive Conservative government that allowed journeypersons to supervise up to two apprentices.
Unions welcomed the move, saying it would keep workers safe and was fiscally responsible. But the Winnipeg Construction Association said it hurts efforts to recruit more skilled workers.
There were 2,730 people registered for an apprenticeship in Manitoba during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, according to Apprenticeship Manitoba statistics.
That’s down from 3,128 new apprentice registrations during the previous year, a 14.5 per cent drop.
In total, there were 11,878 registered apprentices in Manitoba last March, 250 fewer than in the previous fiscal year.
LISTEN | Construction association says rule hampering recruitment:
The Winnipeg Construction Association “was actually very clear that the net result would be less journeypersons and less apprentices,” Darryl Harrison with the construction association told Up to Speed Thursday. “That’s what we’re seeing now.”
National association BuildForce Canada said in a forecast published last year Manitoba would need to hire 19,400 construction workers by 2034 to meet increased demand and replace the 9,800 workers — 21 per cent of the 2024 labour force — who are projected to retire by then.
“I’m really worried that Manitoba is going to be left behind,” Harrison said.
“If you want to build Canada, you need people to do that.… [The federal government] decided it’s important. I hope the provincial government decides it’s important as well.”
A provincial spokesperson said in a statement Sunday the 1-to-1 ratio is vital to ensuring apprentices are safe and receive quality training.
The spokesperson said the federal plan follows Manitoba’s lead, pointing to $7.2 million in funding earmarked to train more apprentices in the 2026/27 budget.