Merit Canada recommends that policy makers:

• Provide federal funds for training programs, in partnership with the provinces, through provincially accredited colleges, trades training, and technical institutions;
• Provide targeted assistance, in partnership with the provinces, to provincial institutions to build incremental training facilities where the need is greatest as clearly demonstrated by labour market data;
• Give preference to funding support for apprenticeship programs which support work-integrated and life-long learning;
• Ensure any federal apprenticeship funding is provided without preference or favour to union, non-affiliated union or non-union workers. Fundamentally, if the federal government provides funding for skills, training and education, it should be non-exclusively to all segments of construction industry workforce; and,
• Recognize and support entrepreneurship as a legitimate and vitally important component of apprenticeship training and supporting succession planning in small, medium and large construction firms across the country.

Merit Canada believes skills, training and education is foundational for building a talented workforce to build our country. This is a shared responsibility of government, business, and individuals.

Federal policy makers have an important role to help ensure a skilled, trained and well-educated workforce to build Canada from coast to coast to coast. Though substantially within provincial jurisdiction, the federal government has an important leadership role working with its provincial counterparts to provide funding and incentives to enhance skills, training and education for Canadians.