The federal government plans to invest $97 million over the next five years to assist workers trained abroad in obtaining their credentials recognized in Canada. Additionally, it will allocate $75 million to enhance a fund that supports union-based apprenticeship training in skilled trades. This initiative, known as the Foreign Credential Recognition Action Fund, will be featured in the upcoming federal budget, as announced by federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu and Secretary of State for Labour John Zerucelli. The funding will come from existing government resources and will not increase overall spending. In an interview, Zerucelli emphasized the importance of recognizing foreign credentials, stating, "We’re putting our money where our mouth is to try to incentivize something that’s really, really important for our economy. We want people with the training and expertise to be working to their full potential." While the funding is a positive step, Shamira Madhany, managing director for World Education Services Canada, cautioned that it will not fully address the issue of underemployment among immigrants. She stressed the need for collaboration among all levels of government and provincial accreditation bodies. Madhany noted, "You end up with a situation where the federal government says, ‘but this is provincial jurisdiction,’ and the provinces say, ‘but we need more money.’" Madhany pointed out that many skilled immigrants face challenges when their credentials are not recognized by provincial or regulatory bodies, which can exacerbate labor shortages in critical sectors like healthcare. She stated, "Who’s going to fill our labor shortages? We know it’s immigrants and highly skilled immigrants. So if you don’t leverage those skills, you end up with this continuous kind of circling around, and doctors and others in the health professions driving Ubers." In a related development, the Ontario government recently announced a new requirement for foreign-trained doctors, mandating that they must have attended an Ontario-accredited high school for at least two years to qualify for medical residency programs in the province. Zerucelli acknowledged that credential recognition primarily falls under provincial jurisdiction but indicated that more details about the fund's implementation will be provided in the upcoming budget. The government also plans to invest an additional $75 million over three years to expand the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP), which supports apprenticeship training in skilled trades. This funding increase will double the program's capacity, allowing for the training of 12,500 apprentices annually. Zerucelli highlighted the urgent need for skilled trades workers, stating, "We’re going to need a million and a half skilled-trades workers over the next 10 years. So we need every avenue to train people, particularly given what Prime Minister Carney is up to." Furthermore, the government will introduce legislation aimed at reducing the use of non-compete clauses in contracts for workers in federally regulated sectors, including finance and transportation. A temporary federal tax credit of up to $1,100 for personal support workers was also announced, fulfilling campaign promises made by the Liberals during the recent federal election. This story is developing as more details emerge from the upcoming budget announcement.