Conestoga has been named Canada’s Best Trade School by CourseCompare, a marketplace that helps prepare people for the future of work by connecting them to top-rated courses and training programs across the country. Its rankings are based on several factors including job placement rates, faculty ratings by students, curriculum, overall learning experience, graduate salaries, graduation rates and more.
“We are honoured to be recognized as Canada’s Best Trade School for 2024,” said Conestoga President John Tibbits. “Ontario is facing a labour shortage in the skilled trades, underscoring the need for training and education in these critical fields. By equipping our workforce with these invaluable skills, we can help bridge the gap in employment and lay the groundwork for a thriving and resilient economy.”
Conestoga is widely recognized as a leader in polytechnic education, and its School of Trades & Apprenticeship has become a provincial leader in trades and apprenticeship training to serve industry needs and the growing community. Comprehensive programming includes a wide range of post-secondary trades programs that provide pathways to employment in skilled trades careers as well as pre-apprenticeship training and in-school training for apprentices.
In addition to providing high-quality programming and education, Conestoga has made significant investments in training facilities across the communities it serves. The college recently invested $150 million in the first phase of the Conestoga Skilled Trades Campus at 25 Reuter Drive in Cambridge, and another $200 million is earmarked for phase two which is now underway.
When fully realized, the campus will include multiple buildings across the 41-acre property, which will serve as home to all the college's skilled trades programs. When completed, it will be the largest, most modern trades training facility in the country and serve as a showcase for the skilled trades.
CourseCompare matches learners to over 300 schools and 5,000 vetted programs based on their career goals and learning needs. In 2023, more than two-million people from more than 100 countries visited CourseCompare.ca to pursue in-demand skills or launch new careers in Canada.