Yukon Party Will Build Opportunities in the Skilled Trades

WHITEHORSE – Skilled trades continue to be in demand throughout the territory and will be essential to the Yukon’s future prosperity. To provide the Yukon with a path forward towards economic recovery, a Yukon Party government will take Action for a Change and create a Skills for Jobs Task Force.

“The Yukon Party team is committed to explore innovative ways to renew and expand skilled trades education so that Yukoners are able to pursue rewarding employment in a range of trades fields here in the territory,” said Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon.

A Yukon Party government’s Skills for Jobs Task Force will:

Help address the need for skilled trades within the Yukon’s economy.
Identify how to promote apprenticeship education as a valuable alternative to a degree program.
Examine the opportunities for expanding apprenticeship to other careers and occupations.
Include meaningful representation from Yukon First Nations, unions, industry, and education leaders.

A Yukon Party government would also establish a Trades Centre of Excellence Program for High School students looking to pursue a career in trades. This will promote the trades as a viable alternative to post-secondary bachelor’s degree programs.

“The skilled trades are going to be critical to the Yukon’s economic recovery today, as we chart a course out of the pandemic and for the future generation,” added Dixon. “Only the Yukon Party has a plan to meet this demand in an effective and meaningful way.”

A Yukon Party government will also tap into the potential of Yukon University to deliver unique northern post-secondary experiences to prepare students for the workforce by:

Designing new programs with Yukon University and industry to better understand and address the low-carbon skills gap.
Working with Yukon University to investigate developing an enhanced geology program in the territory.

Additionally, a Yukon Party government will work with Yukon Women in Trades and Technology (YWITT) to encourage more women to enter the skilled trades and technologies. These announcements also build on the Yukon Party’s March 19 announcement that the Yukon Party would work with industry, unions, and Yukon University to invest in and upskill workers to participate in the low-carbon economy and help our green building sector.

“The Yukon’s most valuable resource is its hardworking people who are ready to meet any challenge,” said Dixon. “We are committed to Yukoners so can get the skills they need to secure good-paying employment to help grow our economy,” added Dixon.

Today’s announcement is part of the Yukon Party’s plan to give Yukoners Action for a Change to increase affordability for citizens and businesses and lead the territory out of the pandemic into a prosperous future by:

Providing a clear path forward with timelines and benchmarks to provide Yukoners with certainty about reopening.
Freezing power rates to make life more affordable.
Creating a non-taxable Yukon Universal Childcare Benefit of $500 per child per month for every child up to 5 and $100 per child per month from every child 6 to 10. This will ensure life is more affordable for families and no child is left behind.
Creating an Education Recovery Plan to ensure no student is left behind.
Enhancing mental health supports for Yukoners to deal with the impacts of the pandemic.
Enhancing and accelerate relief funding for businesses.
Streamlining supports for business.
Reducing red tape to support small business.
Investing in green and renewable energy to help Canada achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The 2021 territorial general election will be held on Monday, April 12. Advanced polling dates have been announced for Sunday, April 4 and Monday, April 5, 2021.

To learn more about the Yukon Party and its campaign outlining Action for a Change, please visit www.yukonparty.ca.

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For further information, please contact:

Tim Kucharuk
Media Director
(867) 689-7874