Career-Ready with CTMA — Expanding Opportunities

Finding skilled talent and creating pathways for hands-on training is a growing challenge for manufacturers, especially in precision metalworking. The Career-Ready with CTMA — Expanding Opportunities program is designed to help employers offset the cost of bringing new workers into the shop or upskilling existing staff through paid, short-term work placements. Delivered by the Canadian Tooling & Machining Association, this initiative focuses on experiential learning that builds job-ready skills while supporting real production needs.

Through the program, participating businesses can receive wage support covering roughly half of an employee’s earnings, with total funding reaching up to about $15,000 when multiple placements are completed back-to-back. These placements typically run for several weeks and are structured around industry-relevant learning outcomes, making them well suited for tool and die shops and other precision manufacturing operations. Employers can use the funding to test out new hires, invest in training, or create a smoother transition from learning to long-term employment, all without taking on additional repayment obligations.

The program is currently accepting applications and is offered on a limited, first-come basis to businesses meeting certain requirements, primarily within Ontario’s precision metalworking sector. For manufacturers looking to strengthen their workforce pipeline while managing labour costs, this program can be a practical starting point worth exploring in more detail.