PTAG Launches Workforce Development Practice to Address North America’s Critical Infrastructure Workforce Shortage
New platform positions PTAG as a leader in developing the workforce required to deliver the next generation of energy, infrastructure, and industrial capital projects
Markham, ON – April 22, 2026 — PTAG Inc. (PTAG) today announced the launch of its Workforce Development Practice and the appointment of Rachel Sumner as Senior Director, Workforce Development, a recognized leader in workforce development and former CEO of Ontario Tech Talent. This strategic expansion positions PTAG to address one of the most significant and persistent constraints facing major capital programs across North America: the growing shortage of both project professionals and the skilled craft required to deliver them.
As unprecedented investment accelerates across onshored manufacturing, data centers, electric vehicles, mining, and energy infrastructure including nuclear and grid modernization, is entering a sustained and quantifiable workforce deficit across both project professionals and skilled craft labor. Demand for project professionals across engineering, project management, construction, supply chain, project controls, safety, and quality is projected to require hundreds of thousands of additional workers annually through the mid-to-late 2030s. At the same time, the shortage of skilled craft labor is projected to exceed professional workforce demand by a factor of three to four, establishing a long-term structural constraint on the ability to deliver major capital programs across the built economy.
PTAG’s Workforce Development Practice is purpose-built to address this challenge at scale, enabling capital project owners, utilities, and industrial operators build scalable, resilient workforce ecosystems aligned to long-term capital portfolios.
“This is not a future problem—it is the defining constraint on project delivery today,” said Michael Dubreuil, Managing Partner at PTAG. “Owners are facing a structural shortage of both professional and craft labor at a scale we have not seen in generations, with demand continuing to accelerate across the built economy. Workforce strategy must now be treated as a core component of capital project execution fully integrated into how projects are planned and delivered, rather than treated as a downstream HR function.”
The new practice delivers a structured, programmatic approach to workforce development, integrating strategic workforce planning, talent pipeline development, and reskilling programs directly into capital project delivery models. PTAG enables clients to forecast workforce demand, define critical roles and capabilities, and build multi-year workforce strategies that ensure execution readiness and workforce alignment across complex project portfolios.
Key services include:
- Strategic workforce planning aligned to capital portfolios
- Role and capability architecture across project delivery functions
- Design and delivery of integrated talent pipelines spanning youth outreach, early-career pathways, and mid-career transitions
- Workforce redeployment and reskilling programs to support AI adoption and digital transformation
- Development of strategic partnerships with academic institutions, trade organizations, Indigenous communities, and workforce agencies
A core pillar of the practice is early workforce development, where PTAG partners with community youth groups, middle schools, and high schools to actively promote careers in the skilled trades and project professions. These initiatives are designed to reshape the perception of industrial careers, highlighting them as high-value, technology-enabled, and financially rewarding career paths, while systematically building a sustainable pipeline of future talent to meet the demands of North America’s infrastructure and energy transition.
Fully integrated within PTAG’s Advanced Project Delivery (APD) platform, the Workforce Development Practice embeds workforce planning directly into project execution. By linking workforce requirements to Path of Construction, work packaging, and project controls, PTAG enables clients to proactively reduce labor-driven delays, improve cost predictability, and enhance overall project performance.
Rachel Sumner is a recognized leader in workforce development, bringing over two decades of experience building and scaling workforce platforms at the intersection of industry, education, and emerging technologies. As former CEO of Ontario Tech Talent, she led the creation and commercialization of an AI-enabled workforce development enterprise designed to deliver rapid, competency-based training aligned to industry demand, growing the organization into a multi-million-dollar operation with a clear path to significant recurring revenue.
She has led large-scale, first-of-a-kind initiatives with transformational impact, including the development of national workforce strategies in the nuclear sector and major digital learning and workforce programs with global organizations. Rachel’s expertise spans workforce ecosystem design, strategic partnerships, and the integration of AI into talent development—making her uniquely positioned to lead and scale PTAG’s Workforce Development platform.
“Workforce development must evolve from reactive hiring to intentional system design,” said Rachel Sumner, Senior Director, Workforce Development at PTAG. “We are enabling clients build workforce ecosystems that are aligned to how projects are actually executed—ensuring the right people, with the right skills, are available at the right time. That includes engaging earlier with students and communities to build awareness of the opportunities available in both the trades and project professions, and creating pathways that directly connect education to real project careers.”
As part of the launch, PTAG is establishing strategic alliances with leading institutions including Ontario Tech University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Calgary, and University of Texas, alongside industry and workforce partners. These collaborations will support the design and development of sustainable, regionally grounded talent pipelines aligned to the growing demands of infrastructure and energy transition programs.
The launch of the Workforce Development Practice reinforces PTAG’s position at the forefront of capital project innovation—extending its leadership beyond project systems and delivery methodologies into the human capital systems required to successfully execute major capital programs at scale.
To learn more about PTAG’s Workforce Development Practice, visit www.ptaginc.com or connect with the PTAG team.
About PTAG
PTAG is a capital program and project management consultancy dedicated to improving project outcomes through innovation, data-driven decision-making, and collaborative contracting. With expertise across nuclear energy, power generation, mining, oil & gas, and heavy infrastructure, PTAG helps clients apply Advanced Project Delivery (APD) methodologies to enhance predictability, efficiency, and performance. PTAG operates globally from offices in Houston, Portland, Oakland, Toronto, Calgary, and Southampton.
