Building Durham’s Workforce: Skills, Trades, and the Future of Energy

Durham Region’s economy is built on skilled talent, from electricians and mechanics to engineers and technicians, driving our clean energy future. The 2025 Durham Workforce Authority (DWA) Data Walk showcased how two key sectors, Skilled Trades and Future Energy, are shaping the region’s growth and long-term resilience.

These two topics highlight how Durham’s workforce combines tradition and innovation, maintaining its strong foundation in skilled trades while positioning itself at the forefront of Canada’s energy transition.

Skilled Trades: A Foundation for Growth

Apprenticeships and skilled trades are essential to the health of Ontario’s economy, driving both productivity and opportunity. The DWA receives annual skilled trades data from Skilled Trades Ontario, the agency responsible for certification, recruitment, and the promotion of trades as career paths.

Across Durham, the demand for skilled tradespeople continues to grow.

  • There are nearly 10,000 construction sector certificate holders, placing Durham among Ontario’s top regions.

  • The number of apprenticeships has increased significantly between 2020 and 2025 — for example, Automotive Service Technicians rose from 100 to 178, Electricians from 22 to 172, and Plumbers from 51 to 101.

  • The average age of skilled trades workers is 42, with nearly one in three aged 55 or older, underscoring an urgent need to attract and train the next generation.

As many tradespeople near retirement, apprenticeship programs will play a vital role in sustaining the skilled labour force that supports Durham’s infrastructure, housing, and industrial sectors.

Diversity and Inclusion in the Trades

The DWA continues to include diversity data in its research. Across the skilled trades, newcomers and racialized workers express strong interest in these careers but face barriers to entry and advancement, including hiring discrimination and unwelcoming job site environments.

While visible minority representation in Durham’s apprenticeships remains lower than among non-visible minority counterparts, Black, South Asian, and Filipino apprentices show the highest participation rates among racialized groups.

Creating a more inclusive trades workforce is not only a matter of equity, but it’s also essential to meeting future labour demand and ensuring that all community members can access high-quality, well-paying careers.

Future Energy: Powering the Next Generation

Durham is home to Ontario’s nuclear industry, advanced energy research institutions, and emerging clean energy technologies, all of which are key components of the Future Energy Cluster.

This cluster includes industries tied to energy production, distribution, waste management, and environmental remediation, ranging from battery and generator manufacturing to nuclear innovation. The energy sector accounts for over 10% of Canada’s GDP and supports 285,000 jobs nationwide.

With electricity demand projected to double by 2050, Ontario’s clean energy transition will create significant local opportunities. Durham’s role in nuclear refurbishment, small modular reactor development, and renewable energy projects positions the region as a national energy hub.

The Skills that Power the Energy Sector

Durham’s Ontario Tech University, TrentU Durham and Durham College are central to the training of the next generation of energy professionals. The sector requires highly technical skills, particularly among engineers, electricians, and technicians.

Data from the DWA shows:

  • Employment in energy-related occupations spans all age groups, though younger workers (ages 20–29) face slightly higher unemployment as they transition from education to the workforce.

  • Local job postings highlight software, electrical, and mechanical engineering as the top in-demand occupations.

  • Skilled trades such as steamfitters and electrical engineering technologists remain essential to energy infrastructure, with hundreds employed full-time in Durham.

These findings underscore the need to connect education and training programs directly to industry demand, ensuring a continuous supply of talent ready to power Durham’s energy future.

Looking Ahead

The DWA will continue its work to map and analyze Durham’s occupational clusters, linking workforce skills to emerging industries. Over the next year, the DWA will release reports that explore Durham’s advanced manufacturing, construction, agri-food and other key clusters and sectors, providing data to support evidence-based workforce and economic planning.  The results of these reports will be a key part of the 2026 Data Walk.

Durham’s position as a leader in both skilled trades and energy innovation demonstrates the strength of a community that learns, adapts, and builds for the future.

Learn More

For more details, visit the DWA’s Research and Reports page to read the Pathways to Skilled Trades Report and learn more about Durham’s emerging Future Energy Cluster.