Ontario Launches Sixth Round of Skills Development Fund Training Stream

Press Release – Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

The Ontario government is continuing to deliver on its plan to protect workers by launching the sixth round of the Skills Development Fund (SDF) Training Stream.

This round will provide $260 million for innovative projects that support the hiring, training and upskilling of workers in manufacturing, health care, construction, automotive and other skilled trades. This investment is part of the government’s $2.5 billion investment through SDF to protect Ontario workers by giving them the tools they need to land rewarding, good-paying jobs, while keeping Ontario competitive in the face of U.S. tariffs and global economic uncertainty.

“Our government is protecting Ontario by training the workers we need to keep building, no matter what global challenges come our way,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “Through this $260 million investment in the Skills Development Fund, we’re funding results-driven training to build the strong workforce we need to support workers and their families and keep building Ontario’s economy.”

After five successful rounds of the SDF training stream, starting today, a wide range of organizations can now apply for project funding. Employers, employment service and training providers, labour unions, business and industry organizations, hospitals, Indigenous Band offices, Indigenous skills and employment training agreement holders, service system managers and other community organizations eligible for funding can submit their proposals through Transfer Payment Ontario. Applications will close on October 1, 2025.

The announcement was made July 29 in Toronto, where Minister Piccini also announced an investment of over $20 million through the fifth round of SDF to train 4,825 workers and jobseekers for careers in the skilled trades, hospitality and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health care.

Since its launch in 2021, Ontario’s SDF has supported over 1,000 training projects across the province that aims to connect over 700,000 people with training for better jobs with bigger paycheques. As announced in the 2025 Budget: A Plan to Protect Ontario, this next round of funding for the SDF Training Stream is part of the government’s nearly $1 billion expansion of the SDF over the next three years, for a total of $2.5 billion, to support major industries and sectors while training the workers needed to build and strengthen Ontario’s economy to withstand whatever comes our way.

"Ontario is home to some of the most talented workers anywhere in the world, and it is because of their contributions to our economy and our communities that our government will always be there to support them. In the face of continued economic headwinds, we are leveraging this latest round of funding to hire, train and upskill current and future generations of workers who will empower our province’s economic growth, and help us protect Ontario,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance.

Quick facts

• SDF Training Stream Round 6 applications open today, July 29, 2025. People interested in applying to the SDF Training Stream can visit the SDF Training Stream website and contact skillsdevelopmentfund@ontario.ca for more information. People interested in participating in the projects announced today are encouraged to contact the lead organizations of the projects directly.
• The SDF has two streams: the Training Stream supports hiring, training, and upskilling programs for jobseekers, apprentices, and workers; and the Capital Stream supports upgrades or construction of training centres to train people for emerging and in-demand jobs in critical sectors of Ontario’s economy.
• Since its launch in 2021, Ontario’s SDF Training Stream has aimed to help over 700,000 workers train for in-demand sectors, including over 154,000 construction workers, over 124,000 manufacturing workers and over 52,000 personal support workers and health care workers.
• In Round 5, a total of 816 applications were received. Of these, 246 projects were selected, representing a total investment of $345 million to support the training of over 121,700 individuals. The projects selected include 105 (43 per cent) that will support the construction of buildings, 63 (26 per cent) that will support specialty trade contractors, and 35 (14 per cent) that will support heavy and civil engineering construction.
• The SDF Training Stream Rounds 1-5 are supported through labour market transfer agreements between the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. SDF Training Round 6 is supported exclusively by the Government of Ontario.

Additional resources

Transfer Payment Ontario

Skills Development Fund: Training Stream

Skills Development Fund: Capital Stream