Apprenticeship renewal measures dubbed a 'game changer'

Some elements of a new strategy aimed at simplifying and streamlining the apprenticeship program in Newfoundland and Labrador are "game changers."

That's according to Paul Dubé, executive director of the Merit Contractors Association, which represents contractors who employ some 1,200 non-unionized employees in the province.

"Putting the rubber to the road is always welcome from the industry perspective because we are usually action-oriented and focused. That's what this government's really doing," Dubé said following Friday's launch of a strategy called Train Here: A Roadmap for Apprenticeship Renewal.

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The strategy is part of the provincial government's workforce development action plan, and is an element of the recently announced population growth strategy.

In a bid to offer continued support to the skilled trades, Advanced Education and Skills Minister Clyde Jackman announced an eight-point plan to ensure the province has a skilled and educated population, and to ensure major project owners are able to secure the right people with the right skills.

It's also hoped the strategy will entice those hoping for a future in the trades to move to this province.

Freedom to work in Atlantic Canada

Some of the highlights include a new mobility agreement that will allow apprentices to work anywhere in Atlantic Canada while gaining the work hours needed to qualify for journeyperson status.

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Currently, such an agreement only exists with Alberta, where some 700-plus apprentices from this province are working.

"Putting the rubber to the road is always welcome from the industry perspective because we are usually action-oriented and focused- Paul Dubé

A pilot project is also in the works to either eliminate or reduce in-class time for block training, which usually runs about eight weeks.

Many apprentices have complained that they have to take a layoff in order to complete the training, which can pose financial and family hardship.

Employers have also raised concerns about the operational impacts on their worksites when they lose employees for training.

The new strategy will study opportunities for online and so-called "blended" learning as an alternative.

"If there's an e-learning platform that we can take advantage of and it keeps apprentices on the job longer, then that's a positive for everyone," said Dubé.

"We've heard from employers that said they would rather have apprentices working on site and if there are ways they can do a course while they're working, that's important," Jackman added.

More major projects on the horizon

Other initiatives include better access to log books, a new online, simplified application process for prospective apprentices, and an expanded youth apprenticeship program for students between the ages of 16-19.

Jackman said the province's aging population, coupled with an expected surge in construction in about five years, means there is an urgency to entice more people into the trades.

"We have projects on the horizon, around 2020 and 2021, that are going to ramp up and need apprentices and journeypersons," he noted.

The province began focusing more on growing the number of skilled trades workers in this province in 2007.

The numbers have grown steadily since that time.

In 2014, for example, some 770 apprentices were certified as journeypersons, while another 6,700 apprentices are still in the system.

Those numbers are double what they were eight years ago for trades such as welder, plumber, electrician, carpenter, steamfitter/pipefitter and crane operator.

More supports needed for female apprentices

While those are impressive numbers, more can be done, said Lorraine Michael, Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi MHA and NDP house leader.

She said the number of women in the apprentice program is still very low, and that she believes support such as childcare should be made available to single parents who are doing block training.

"I would like this government to ... realize there's other things they have to put in place to back up what they're saying about the apprenticeship program," she said.

Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair MHA Lisa Dempster, who is the Liberal skills critic, praised initiatives such as the expanded youth apprentice program.

But also criticized the lack of details in the strategy.

"It almost leaves you to conclude again that this announcement is a little bit premature and could have been done after the fact," she said.