Algonquin College: training the next generation of builders

OTTAWA (Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026) — The newly released Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ) 2026 Executive Report on Homes & Construction highlights the opportunities and challenges shaping Ottawa’s construction and housing sector, including the workforce needed to support the region’s growth.

Alongside the report, OBJ is featuring Algonquin College and its Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence (ACCE), highlighting how the College is working with industry to help prepare the skilled workforce the region needs. The feature underscores ACCE’s employer partnerships, specialized facilities, breadth of programming and strong learner demand.

The report makes note of forecasts published by the Ontario government in the summer of 2026 which indicated Ottawa may have a population of 1.83 million people by 2051. The city’s official plans have anticipated a much smaller 1.4 million, a gap of more than 400,000 people, meaning a significant number of additional homes will need to be built to accommodate the future population size. This sheer scale of new building will require thousands of additional trades workers, positioning Algonquin College as an answer to significant workforce needs now and into the near future.

Strong demand, significant opportunity

Ottawa and Eastern Ontario have significant construction needs ahead. Turning planned investments into homes, infrastructure and stronger communities will depend on having the skilled tradespeople to do the work and lead teams.

At Algonquin College, interest in skilled trades education is strong. For fall 2026, ACCE postsecondary programs received 5,581 applications for 988 available seats, with applications increasing 20 per cent year over year.

This demand reinforces both the strong interest in skilled trades careers and the opportunity to continue strengthening training capacity and pathways into the sector.

The OBJ feature also highlights ACCE’s scale, noting nearly 2,000 full-time learners this fall alongside 2,200 apprenticeship seats.

“The demand is there, and so is the opportunity. Our focus is on growing capacity, deepening our partnerships and preparing more learners for careers that will help build the communities of the future,” says Katherine Root, dean, ACCE.

Building capacity through partnership

Preparing the workforce for the region’s future requires long-term planning and collaboration among educators, employers, industry associations, governments and community partners. It also means creating more opportunities for women to pursue and build careers in the skilled trades.

Root highlighted the need to address women’s underrepresentation in the sector, noting that the women present on actual job sites make up only two per cent of the construction workforce.

Initiatives such as Women in Tech & Trades and the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation’s Build Your Path program help create pathways into skilled trades careers and broaden access to these opportunities.

These partnerships help the College connect training with industry needs while preparing learners for workplaces being shaped by new technologies, emerging skills and changing construction practices.

Building the workforce for what comes next

The Ottawa Business Journal 2026 Executive Report on Homes & Construction provides a timely look at the future of the region’s construction sector. Algonquin College is focused on helping build the workforce behind it.

That means continuing to create pathways into the skilled trades, strengthening training capacity and working directly with industry so that education continues to reflect the skills employers need.

Algonquin College wants to hear from employers about the skills, technologies and capabilities their workforce needs today and will need tomorrow.

By planning ahead and working together, Ottawa and Eastern Ontario can build a strong, adaptable, home-grown workforce ready to support the region’s growth.

To read the Ottawa Business Journal 2026 Executive Report on Homes & Construction, click this link.

To learn more about the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence, click here.

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For further information:

Trevor Oattes

Communications Officer

Algonquin College

613-390-0518

oattest@algonquincollege.com 

About Algonquin College

The mission of Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success. Algonquin College, an Ontario public sector college, does this by offering hands-on, digitally connected, experiential learning in close to 170 programs. Algonquin College is the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario, with campuses in Ottawa and Pembroke, with fully online programming delivered through AC Online.