Tri-Lateral Skilled Trades Workforce Integration Service

Ontario's skilled-trades workforce is vital to the infrastructure, energy, construction and industries our communities rely on.

But building and sustaining a skilled-trades career isn't always straightforward. Apprentices change employers, projects come to an end, training requirements evolve, and experienced tradespeople explore new opportunities, qualifications and career directions.

SWIFT OPS is developing an independent, Ontario-wide Tri-Lateral Workforce Integration Service to help skilled tradespeople navigate these transitions while strengthening coordination between government, employers and labour.

Through direct workforce engagement, career navigation and measurable outcomes, the goal is to better connect the people, resources and opportunities that support Ontario's skilled trades.

Three priorities guide the SWIFT OPS approach.

Connecting skilled tradespeople with employers, training providers, unions, employment services and government resources that support their careers.

The focus is on making existing opportunities and pathways easier to understand, access and navigate.

Engaging directly with apprentices, journeypersons and experienced tradespeople to better understand their career goals, experiences and challenges.

These conversations help identify individual needs and broader workforce barriers that might otherwise go unrecognized.

Developing a Workforce Integration Scorecard to track meaningful activities and outcomes, including career progression, employment transitions, identified barriers and support provided.

Aggregated findings can help industry partners understand what's working, where challenges remain and where better coordination may be needed.

A skilled-trades career doesn't end when a project finishes or an employer changes.

SWIFT OPS focuses on helping skilled tradespeople understand their options and navigate opportunities throughout their working lives.

This may include:

• Exploring skilled-trades occupations and career pathways
• Understanding apprenticeship registration and progression
• Navigating employer or apprenticeship sponsor changes
• Identifying training and qualification requirements
• Exploring opportunities across trades, industries and regions
• Planning career advancement, leadership and mentorship pathways
• Navigating employment transitions and changes in career direction

The goal is the shortest appropriate pathway to a skilled-trades career.

Ontario already has established apprenticeship systems, training providers, unions, employers and workforce organizations.

Each plays an important role in developing, employing and retaining skilled tradespeople.

But workers often move between these systems throughout their careers, and their needs don't always fit neatly within the responsibilities of one organization, employer or project.

SWIFT OPS is developing an independent approach that works across existing resources, helping connect individual career needs with broader industry opportunities and challenges.

The aim is to support skilled tradespeople while strengthening coordination and understanding across the workforce.

Workforce investments are often measured through registrations, training participation, hiring and certification.

These are important indicators, but they don't always tell us what happens between those milestones.

Are apprentices progressing? What happens when employment ends? What barriers prevent people from pursuing available opportunities? What helps experienced tradespeople remain connected to the industry?

SWIFT OPS is developing a Workforce Integration Scorecard to explore these questions through direct engagement, documented activities and verified outcomes.

The purpose is to provide practical information that helps industry partners identify challenges, improve coordination and make better workforce decisions.

Whether you're an apprentice exploring your next step, an experienced tradesperson considering new opportunities, or an organization interested in strengthening Ontario's skilled-trades workforce, we welcome a conversation.

SWIFT OPS is building connections across the people and organizations supporting skilled-trades careers throughout Ontario.

Stronger Trades. Stronger Ontario.