Nearly 100 delegates and speakers from government, business and education attended the workshop to assist in collectively identify solutions to remove the barriers to apprenticeship training in Ontario and seek ways to enhance the image of skilled trades. [...] The final long-term goal of this initiative is to change the behaviour of key stakeholder groups; influence provincial policy; collectively and individually commit to a strategy to improve awareness of skilled trades professions; and increase the number of skilled trades workers and apprentices in Ontario. [...] Based on the Ontario Chamber of Commerce's research, investing in apprentices has a positive return on investment to employers, and to the province's economy, in the form of improved competitiveness and productivity. [...] Conclusion The final long-term goal of this initiative is to change the behaviour of key stakeholder groups, influence public policy, and collectively and individually commit to a strategy to improve awareness of skilled trades professions to increase the number of skilled trades workers and apprentices in Ontario. [...] This particular finding from the workshop indicated that more research is needed to fully understand the implications of the cost of apprenticeship training and in turn, how the return on that investment affects the Ontario economy.