Getting youth interested in manufacturing crucial for future of Ontario sector: report [Video]

As local manufacturers grapple with the ongoing trade war with the U.S., they’re also contending with another equally pressing issue — a rapidly aging workforce and an urgent need for new, trained workers.

A new report from Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), released Thursday, shows Ontario’s manufacturing sector is set to lose 22,500 workers per year through 2033 from retirement.

It’s an issue set to hit the London to Windsor corridor hard, where the sector employs tens of thousands of people, or nearly 16 per cent of all jobs.

Considered the heart of Canadian manufacturing, the corridor has faced ongoing labour shortages and challenges securing enough graduates in certain trades, CME says.

A projected drop in college enrolment numbers, driven by the federal cap on international study permits, will only exacerbate the problem, along with corresponding financial pressures and program cuts.

“We’ve had a difficult time getting new folks in and really getting (them) ready to be …