Ontario Supporting Economic Growth, New Jobs in the Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland Region

NEWS RELEASE

New partnership to create training and job opportunities in the local aerospace sector

December 06, 2019

Labour, Training and Skills Development

PETERBOROUGH — Ontario’s Government is supporting a new training partnership project in the Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland Region that will unlock up to 100 jobs in aerospace and aviation sector.

“People in this region should take note. The Aviation/Aerospace sector is expanding here, which means more jobs,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. “By making this considerable investment, our government is creating opportunities for local talent to solve a labour shortage. This is a win-win.”

Under the program announced today, Ontario will invest $1.5M over two years to support the new training partnership that will create up to 100 local training and career opportunities. As part of the project, Sir Sandford Fleming College will work with local employers like Flying Colours Corp., Safran Electronics and Defence Canada, The Loomex Group and Team Eagle Ltd to develop and implement a training curriculum tailored to the talent needs of employers from the local Aviation and Aerospace sector.

“As a leading provider of aviation management and operating services, including in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Greenstone and Dryden, the Loomex Group is pleased to partner with the Ministry of Labour Training and Skills Development and Fleming College on this important aviation workforce development program that will support the considerable growth of the aerospace and aviation sectors in the region and Ontario”, said Trent Gervais, President & CEO of The Loomex Group. “By investing in this program the Government of Ontario will build on previous initiatives that have made the aerospace and aviation sector a significant and growing employment and economic driver for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland and beyond”.

The training program will teach job-specific skills that help the trainees to find and keep stable employment in the sector. Local employers report demand in fields like Avionics/Electrical Installation, Airport Management, Aviation Consulting, and Shipping/Receiving. The training will take place at the Loomex facilities at the Peterborough Municipal Airport and is expected to begin January 6, 2020.

“This project has the potential to unlock further economic growth in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland Region,” said Dave Smith, MPP for Peterborough-Kawartha. “With the job and training opportunities created here, local companies will get the talent they need succeed, expand and create further jobs down the road. That’s great news for our region.”

“To make Ontario open for jobs, we need to make sure that businesses can find the skilled workforce they need to grow,” said Minister McNaughton. “Government can’t do that alone. It’s great to see employers and educators team up and use their expertise to tackle local labour market challenges. That’s the kind of initiative we need to support within Ontario.”

Quick Facts

  • Ontario is supporting Altitude – the SkillsAdvance Ontario project for the Aviation and Aerospace Sector and Related Industries in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes & Northumberland – with $1,548,551 over 2 years.
  • The Altitude project will create training and career opportunities for 50 incumbent workers and 50 jobseekers.
  • Aerospace is a key component of Ontario’s advanced manufacturing sector, directly employing over 22,000 people across more than 200 companies. The sector has annual revenues over $6 billion and contributes almost $3 billion to Ontario’s GDP.

Additional Resources