Seat expansion targets construction shortages
Ontario is adding 3,800 funded postsecondary seats for skilled trades programs as part of a larger expansion of more than 70,000 new publicly funded seats in high-demand fields, Ontario Construction News reported. The announcement at McMaster University in Hamilton includes $90 million to fund 2,769 new seats at that institution beginning this academic year, with funding details for other colleges and universities expected in the coming weeks.
The trades seats are among 40,200 in STEM programs, 16,100 in health care, 7,900 in education and 3,000 in other labour-market-driven programs, according to the same report. The province says programs in trades and other high-demand areas generally have higher employment rates in related fields and higher wages after graduation.
The expansion is supported by $1.7 billion in funding and follows an earlier allocation of 30,000 seats announced in May. Colleges and universities submitted proposals based on institutional capacity, local industry needs, regional labour-market conditions and student demand, and the province received more than 1,000 letters of support from employers. The announcement notes that 40,000 of the seats in the latest round will be available to students as early as the fall 2026 academic year.
The seat expansion is part of Ontario’s broader $6.4-billion postsecondary funding model, which the province says will increase annual operating funding for colleges, universities and Indigenous Institutes to $7 billion. Ontario also announced nearly $1 billion through its 2025 budget to fund more than 100,000 additional seats in programs intended to meet labour-market demand, including skilled trades, nursing, teaching and STEM.
Scott Andison, CEO of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association, said the investment will strengthen the skilled workforce and support homebuilding, according to Ontario Construction News.
David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, said the seats give young people a clearer path to good-paying jobs and build the skilled workforce the province depends on, Ontario Construction News reported.
Colleges Ontario projects 144,000-worker trades gap
The 2026 Stokes Labour Market Study, commissioned by Colleges Ontario and released in May, found that demand for college-educated workers over the next decade is estimated to be at least 950,000 workers, significantly exceeding the currently estimated domestic supply of 600,000 workers, according to Colleges Ontario. The greatest shortages are in Trades, Transport and Equipment Operators and Related Occupations, with 144,000 positions needing to be filled from sources outside domestic graduates.
The Stokes study found Ontario will need 16,500 carpenters, 9,400 electricians, 7,500 construction millwrights and industrial mechanics, 6,800 welders and related machine operators, and 4,900 plumbers over the next 10 years. The report also found the construction sector employed 578,800 people in 2024, with demand growing by nearly 70,000 positions from 2026 to 2035, especially in specialty trade contracting and building construction.
The study does not list glazing as a separate trade, but the projected need for carpenters, electricians and millwrights reflects the broader construction trades crunch that glazing contractors often experience when hiring for installation and fabrication.
“Ontario colleges are working closely with government, employers and industry partners, with a renewed focus on financial viability and program growth in priority fields,” Adamson said in a written statement. Adamson added that institutions have been “carefully realigning program delivery” and that workforce development is critical for the provincial economy.
Through the call for proposals, publicly assisted colleges will be required to submit a Priority Growth Plan that reflects their school’s strengths, regional economic trends, local labour market needs and student demand, the Colleges Ontario announcement indicated. Adamson described the Priority Growth Fund as “a significant opportunity to grow high-demand programs in skilled trades, health care, mining, resource management and advanced manufacturing.”
The Stokes paper said public policy changes to international migration will limit the labour market’s ability to fill the gap between domestic college-educated graduates and demand, a gap further compounded by recent college program closures. “This gap is further compounded by recent college program closures that also affect the supply of domestic students,” the report stated. The report also said a reduction of 33,541 college-educated workers would result in a direct GDP loss of $3.26 billion.
Asked about program closures, Adamson replied: “The province’s 2026 budget demonstrates a strong commitment to post-secondary education through its $6.4-billion investment, which will help colleges and polytechnics regain their fiscal balance.”
Capital plan risks and glazing workforce impact
The Stokes report warned that successful delivery of the Doug Ford government’s $223-billion, 10-year capital plan, which includes infrastructure expansion with major health, transit, schools and highways capital spending, will be jeopardized by a failure to train sufficient skilled trades. “If these shortages go unfilled, the government capital plan as it stands will be put at risk with extended completion times and potential cost overruns,” the report stated.
For glazing contractors and fabricators, the seat expansion adds capacity in construction-related trades at a time when specialized technical training remains a bottleneck. The Ontario Construction News report notes that 40,000 of the seats in the latest round will be available to students as early as the fall 2026 academic year, and the province says programs in trades generally lead to higher employment rates and wages. While 3,800 trades seats is a small portion of the 70,000-seat expansion, the targeted funding responds to persistent construction labour shortages that affect specialty trade contracting and building envelope work. The seats do not directly address certification under Ontario’s building code or standards such as CSA A440, but they expand the pipeline of workers who can pursue glazing apprenticeships and related training. That pipeline matters as building envelope work grows. The expansion is part of a broader effort to align college programs with regional labour needs, according to Colleges Ontario.