Regina, Saskatchewan — The Prairies are quickly becoming the place where future apprentices grow, as the Saskatchewan government announced Thursday that it is opening up an additional 250 seats in its training classrooms this year.
Thanks to a $1.5 million investment from the provincial government, this expansion of apprenticeship training opportunities builds on more than a decade of growth in Saskatchewan’s training sector, and brings the current total number of training seats to 4,450.
In fact, provincial funding for apprenticeship has increased by more than 71 per cent to approximately $21.4 million since the 2007-2008 fiscal year, according to the press release.
“We’ve observed an increased demand for apprenticeship training in recent months,” said CEO of Saskatchewan’s Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission, Jeff Ritter.
“These additional training seats will help ensure Saskatchewan’s skilled tradespeople progress efficiently through their apprenticeships and achieve journeyperson certification in a timely manner. We’re grateful for this investment—it will help us sustain a strong, effective apprenticeship system.”
The province has set goals to welcome 1.4 million new residents and 100,000 new jobs by 2030 as part of the Saskatchewan Growth Plan.
