Minister Jason Kenney visits ACC

ACC welcomed Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment, Social Development and Multiculturalism, and Larry Maguire, MP for Brandon-Souris, to the Len Evans Centre for Trades and Technology (LECTT) at the college's North Hill Campus in Brandon yesterday.

Minister Kenney and Maguire toured the LECTT with ACC President Mark Frison, talking with current ACC trades students about their experiences to date and career plans for the future.

The college also hosted a roundtable discussion with local business owners about the Government of Canada's skills training agenda.

The Government of Canada currently supports the training of apprentices by awarding a $1,000 apprenticeship grant in both the first and second year of an apprentice’s training, and the awarding of a $2,000 apprenticeship grant upon the completion of their apprenticeship training. Through these grants, apprentices can pay for tuition, tools, or other expenses.

In addition, the Canada Apprentice Loan is now available for Westman residents. The Canada Apprentice Loan will provide apprentices in a Red Seal trade with interest-free loans of up to $4,000 per period of technical training. Similar to student loans for college or university students, interest charges and repayment of the Canada Apprentice Loan will not begin until after the recipient completes or leaves their training program. Providing apprentices with the same support as college and university students sends an important signal that apprenticeship training is as valuable as a university education.

In addition to apprenticeship grants, the Government of Canada also created the Tradesperson’s Tools Deduction tax credit to help apprentices and tradespersons pay for tools and the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit to encourage employers to hire apprentices.

Quick Facts

There are tremendous opportunities in the skilled trades in the years ahead:

• The construction sector says it will need 300,000 new workers over the next 10 years.
• The mining sector says it will need 145,000 new workers by 2020.
• The petroleum sector says it will need 150,000 new workers by 2022.
• The supply chain sector says it will need 357,000 new workers by 2020.
• Since 2007, the Government of Canada has issued over 500,000 apprenticeship grants – worth a combined $700 million in support – to Canadian apprentices to help them get jobs.