Ontario Skills Development Fund providing $10.9M to train 2,000 workers for jobs in healthcare system

The Government of Ontario will announce Wednesday a $10.9 million investment into numerous training projects aimed at helping workers prepare for careers in the healthcare system.

The Province says the 10 projects will provide specialized training, mentorship, work placements and other career supports for nurses, personal support workers, medical laboratory technologists and those in other critical healthcare roles, with a goal of helping nearly 2,000 workers.

The funding will come from the sixth round of the Skills Development Fund Training Stream and will be distributed to the following recipients:

• Scarborough Health Network – $2,225,017 to help 110 people in the Scarborough area prepare for careers as personal support workers and nurses
• Brain Changes Initiative – $1,850,000 to help 200 job seekers in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area prepare for entry-level health-care careers
• Windmill Microlending – $1,805,000 to help 1,100 skilled newcomers and refugees in the Greater Toronto Area restart their careers and find work in the healthcare and other high-demand sectors by providing affordable loans and other supports
• The Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario – $1,491,025 to support 41 Medical Laboratory Technologist students in Ottawa, Stratford, North Bay, Kenora and other northern sites with enhanced clinical training opportunities
• WoundPedia – $981,500 to train 100 nurse practitioners across Ontario in evidence-informed skin and wound care
• The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario – $816,875 to help 100 internationally educated nurses find employment in the province through Ontario-specific healthcare training, paid placements, coaching and employer supports
• Accessible Community Counselling and Employment Services (ACCES) – $663,151 to help 150 internationally educated healthcare professionals integrate into healthcare careers in Northern Ontario
• Durham Community Health Centre – $533,500 to train 150 healthcare workers in the Durham region to develop skills that will help staff work together more effectively and improve care for patients
• Prime+Care Health Centre – $498,440 to train 30 participants from underserved communities in Ontario for careers as Personal Support Workers (PSWs)
• The Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council – $72,000 to develop a workforce report identifying in-demand skills, workforce needs and training gaps in Ontario’s medical isotope sector to help guide future workforce investments and support industry growth

“Protecting Ontario’s healthcare system starts with ensuring we have the skilled workforce needed to deliver care when people need it most,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development in a press release.

“Through the Skills Development Fund, our government is creating more pathways into rewarding health-care careers while helping employers recruit the skilled professionals they need. Together, we’re increasing access to care, strengthening our workforce and building a healthier, more resilient Ontario for generations to
come.”

In 2025, the Skills Development Fund was at the centre of a controversy based on Auditor General Shelley Spence’s report that found Piccini’s office was heavily involved in selecting projects that get funded.

It also found that the government “chose to fund poor, low and medium-ranked applications 54 per cent of the time instead of high-ranked applications” and that “more than half of applicants had hired registered lobbyists to lobby the Ministry and/or Minister before they were selected and funded.”

“As well, 39 high-ranked applications that were selected by the Minister’s Office, and received approximately $58 million in funding, had also hired lobbyists,” the report found.

It also said the Minister’s Office did not share a documented reason for why it selected 388 applications, which collectively received $479 million in funding.

Thereafter, Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner Cathryn Motherwell launched an investigation into Piccini related to the selection of applicants to the Skills Development Fund Training Stream. The probe was prompted by separate requests submitted by NDP Leader Marit Stiles and Liberal MPP Stephanie Smyth that claimed Piccini may have contravened sections of the Members’ Integrity Act that deal with conflict of interest, insider information, influence, gifts, and procedures on conflict of interest as it relates to the program.

At the time, opposition leaders called for Piccini to step down or for Premier Doug Ford to fire him, while Ford defended the minister and the Skills Development Fund’s operations.

While Spence did not find any laws were broken in her 2025 report, the Province says the projects selected for this round of funding have been evaluated and selected based on recommendations in her review.

The projects will also be under more scrutiny, with tracking of long-term employment outcomes at three, six and 12 months. Applicants will also be required to disclose any use of registered lobbyists and consultants, with the information being verified against Ontario’s Lobbyists Registry.

“Above and beyond the Auditor General’s recommendations, the ministry also implemented new tools for risk management and due diligence, including analyzing individuals associated with applications, in addition to the organization,” the Province said in a news release.

With files from Richard Southern, John Marchesan and The Canadian Press