The Ontario government is investing $9.8 million in a new skilled trades training centre now under construction in Port Hope.
Led by UBC Millwright Local 2309, the facility will provide classroom and hands-on training to 2,550 apprentices, journeypersons, and people entering the trade over the next five years.
Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini, who is also Ontario’s labour, immigration, training and skills development minister, announced the funding during a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday (August 20).
The training centre is being built in the Port Hope Business Park on Henderson Street. Port Hope council approved the sale of the municipal property to the union local in 2020.
Funding for the project is being provided through the capital stream of Ontario’s Skills Development Fund, which supports the construction and modernization of training facilities for skilled trades and other in-demand occupations.
The new Port Hope facility will offer instruction in millwright skills including welding, rigging, alignment, and industrial maintenance, as well as certifications for working at heights, entering confined spaces, and operating equipment.
Participants will train using industry-standard equipment and technologies, including turbines, conveyor systems, welding equipment, and robotics. The training will prepare workers to install, maintain, and repair machinery used in the manufacturing, construction, energy, and industrial sectors.
“Ontario is building energy independence in the face of ongoing economic uncertainty,” Piccini said in a media release.
“This new training centre will prepare more workers with the skills employers need to build, maintain and modernize the projects that will power our province and fuel economic growth for decades. By investing in workers today, we are helping secure good-paying jobs, attracting investment and keeping Ontario competitive for years to come.”
According to the provincial government, there were 43,300 millwrights employed in Ontario in 2025, when their average wage was $40.47 per hour.
The province estimates that more than 400,000 skilled trades positions will need to be filled over the next decade because of retirements and employment growth.
“This project is about investing in people and creating opportunities for the next generation of millwrights,” said UBC Millwright Local 2309 business manager John Baker.
“With the support of the Ontario government’s Skills Development Fund Capital Stream and the Millwright Regional Council, we are building a training facility that will ensure workers develop the skills needed to build Ontario’s future,” Baker added.
The province has committed $139.6 million through the capital stream of the Skills Development Fund to expand and modernize training facilities across Ontario.
Applications to the provincially funded program are accepted on an ongoing basis.
