Skilled Trades Ontario to launch certificates and wallet cards

Photo: Skilled Trades Ontario.

Skilled Trades Ontario will begin issuing over 17,500 certificates of qualification and over 200,000 wallet cards to apprentices and certified skilled trades workers across the province, this summer.

“This is an exciting milestone for thousands of skilled trades professionals,” said Melissa Young, CEO and registrar, Skilled Trades Ontario. “Not only do certificates of qualification and wallet cards serve to validate credentials, they are a testament to the hard work, resilience and unwavering dedication behind every certified skilled trades professional. I look forward to seeing them proudly displayed on worksites and in businesses across the province.”

Over the coming months, skilled trades professionals in compulsory and non-compulsory trades who received certification after January 1, 2022, will begin receiving their certificates of qualification in the mail. Certificates of qualification issued prior to January 1, 2022, will continue to be valid and recognized by Skilled Trades Ontario.

“It’s an honour to be one of the first recipients of the Skilled Trades Ontario certificate of qualification,” said Matthew Culbert, General Machinist, Linamar Corporation. “After years of hard work and perseverance, I am proud to be able to hang this on my wall.”

Beginning this fall, wallet cards will be issued to apprentices and certified compulsory and non-compulsory skilled trades professionals in the province.

“The flow of skilled people into our business is critical given the link to innovation and efficiency that are so essential to our global competitiveness,” said Linda Hasenfratz, executive chairman and CEO, Linamar Corporation. “That is why we are heavily invested in developing a generation of young people in skilled trades. I am thrilled to see our skilled tradespeople getting the recognition they so richly deserve for the critical work they do and essential role they play in our business.”

A certificate of qualification is an official document that proves that a person is qualified to work in a particular skilled trade in Ontario. To obtain a certificate of qualification, individuals are required to have passed their certification exam and have met all requirements to practice their trade in Ontario.

Since launching last year, Skilled Trades Ontario has provided online verification of the status and license details of compulsory apprentices and journeypersons on its online public register.

“The Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) applauds Skilled Trades Ontario for their continued efforts to elevate all skilled trades to the level of respect that they truly deserve,” said Giovanni Cautillo, president, Ontario General Contractors Association. “Nothing in Ontario is created without the skills, drive, and dedication of those in the trades and being part of the construction sector is a very rewarding career.”