Today marks World Youth Skills Day, a day for building awareness on the importance of skills education and training, and promoting skills among youth in order to generate thriving communities. The goal of World Youth Skills Day is to contribute to reducing unemployment and underemployment among the youth across the globe. It highlights youth skills development to draw attention to the critical need for marketable skills.

“World Youth Skills Day is incredibly important to recognize, as we at Skills Ontario work to encourage youth in Ontario to pursue careers in the skilled trades and technologies across several programs throughout the year. The pandemic has shown more than ever, the importance and need for a highly skilled and trained workforce,” says Ian Howcroft, CEO of Skills Ontario. “In order to build a stronger economy on a provincial, national, and global scale, youth not only need to be educated on the skills they have the potential to develop, but also on the importance of these skills and how they contribute to a rewarding future for all.”

Skills Ontario delivers programs that connect education, experience, and employment so that youth can explore and pursue the career opportunities in the skilled trades and technologies. During World Youth Skills Day and throughout the summer, Skills Ontario is hosting Virtual Summer Camps, where Ontario youth entering grades 7, 8, and 9 are participating in virtual workshops to try various activities relating to the skilled trades and technologies and to gain skills such as communication and problem-solving. For more information on Skills Ontario’s Virtual Summer Camps, visit skillsontario.com/camp.

As a not-for-profit organization, Skills Ontario is able to deliver its programming thanks to the support of its partners, including the Government of Ontario, and several corporate sponsors across many levels.

With every Skills Ontario program, youth are given the opportunity to develop important skills in order to create a bright future for themselves and for the province, the country, and the world. Skills Ontario celebrates World Youth Skills Day and will continue to work to inspire and encourage youth to explore their potential and the incredible opportunities in the skilled trades and technologies.

About

Skills Ontario has grown a portfolio of programs including in-school presentations reaching 125,000 students across Ontario, career exploration summer camps, Young Women’s and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Career Exploration Conferences, and annually hosting Canada’s largest skilled trades and technologies competition which attracts 37,000+ spectators who cheerlead the 2,400+ competitors in 68+ trades and tech categories. To see how you can partner with Skills Ontario and help make a difference in the lives of Ontario’s youth, visit skillsontario.com/get-involved.