OTTAWA — Stakeholders are disappointed that the Conservative government has declared its massive new federal-provincial infrastructure project open for business — with nary a mention of apprenticeships.

Ottawa kicked off its $14-billion New Building Canada Fund late last month, part of the governments 10-year, $53-billion plan to build new infrastructure across Canada.

The fund includes $4 billion for projects of national significance, $9 billion for provincial and territorial initiatives and $1 billion for projects in small communities with populations of fewer than 100,000 people.

But amid that infrastructure bonanza, there are no provisions for apprenticeships, a key plank of this years federal budget.

Sarah Watts-Rynard, head of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, says shes disappointed by the absence of an apprenticeship component in the governments major infrastructure initiative.

She says the New Building Canada Plan gave the federal government a chance to support apprenticeships.