Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Calgary Centre for his interest in employment for Canadians. Labour market change is happening at a dizzying pace. Government, businesses and workers are navigating new challenges and opportunities.
Fortunately, Canada has everything it needs to succeed, including a very deep pool of talent. Our government is committed to protecting and supporting workers in this period of uncertainty and change in our labour market. We have the most highly skilled workforce in the world. It is why Canada will keep its economy strong and vibrant. However, a huge wave of retirements is leaving important sectors facing critical labour shortages.
An estimated 600,000 tradespeople will retire by 2031. Add to that the anticipated creation of 400,000 jobs by the end of the decade, and we can see that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an entire generation. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. That said, young people are an underutilized resource and are the key to Canada's future prosperity.
A new path forward requires bold action to earn the trust of young people so that they know their career aspirations will be fulfilled.
It is also important to remember that young people are entering a labour market that bears little resemblance to the one their parents and grandparents knew. This ever-changing market requires us to do whatever it takes to equip young people with the skills and experience they need to succeed.
Young people are navigating an employment landscape that is very different from past generations. Because we cannot build houses without skilled carpenters, plumbers, electricians or any of the other Red Seal trades, we also have to make sure that individuals facing additional barriers have access to the supports needed to access education and training. For Canada to be a G7 leader, our workers must have access to training, retraining and upskilling. That is why the Government of Canada is supporting a comprehensive array of programming.
For example, this year alone, the Government of Canada aims to support over 150,000 opportunities for youth through the youth employment and skills strategy program, Canada summer jobs, the Canada service corps, the supports for student learning program and the student work placement program.
We are making targeted investments under the Canadian apprenticeship strategy, targeting the skilled trades workforce's most pressing needs. Nearly $1 billion annually in apprenticeship support goes toward making trades training more affordable, through loans, grants and contributions, tax credits and EI benefits.
In order to welcome recruits such as young people and newcomers to the workforce, the Future Skills Centre has collaborated with more than 2,900 organizations from 20 sectors from coast to coast to coast and helped 103,000 Canadians access skills training in order to get a job.
We will advance new opportunities, transform into a one economy agenda and invest to ensure that Canadians have the skills they need to fill in-demand jobs.