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The Ontario government is pumping nearly $1 million into pre-apprenticeship programs in a bid to ease the shortage of skilled tradespeople in London.

The money, unveiled in London Friday, will go to four London-based training programs, creating 107 new pre-apprenticeship positions for construction workers, brick and stone masons, bakers and educational assistants.

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“We need to let more people know about the opportunities that the trades offer,” Labour Minister Monte McNaughton (PC-Lambton–Kent–Middlesex) said during Friday’s announcement. “We also need to make sure that people can get the skills they need to embark on a career in the trades.”

The province estimates there are about 9,600 unfilled jobs in London and about 23,600 across Southwestern Ontario, many of them in the skilled trades.

The province also estimates that one in five Ontario jobs will be skilled trades-related over the next five years, so there’s a need to get more people, including youth, newcomers and people seeking second careers, into trades, McNaughton said.