FOR THE FUTURE
British Columbians and skilled trades employers will soon learn more about the economic value of apprenticeships, thanks to a study funded by the B.C. government and the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA). In 2006 and 2009, CAF-FCA conducted two national studies to calculate the economic return on training investment for skilled trades employers who hired apprentices. In 2006, using a cost-benefit model, CAF-FCA found that for every dollar spent on apprenticeship training, an employer receives an average benefit of $1.38. When the study was repeated in 2009, the return had increased to $1.47. To develop up-to-date data regarding the value of apprenticeship training to employers in B.C., CAF-FCA will update and replicate its 2009 study across 21 skilled trades. The research is expected to take 20 months, with estimated completion in July 2023. Working in partnership with the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) through focus groups and surveys, the project will examine employment in the skilled trades sector, determine the prevalence of apprenticeship training among employers, and quantify the return on training investment for employers in B.C.
The final report will identify strategies for encouraging higher levels of participation in apprenticeship training among employers to ensure the skills and training needs of the current and future labour market can be met.
CLEAN SLATE
Ontarians can bid farewell to the old Ontario College of Trades as the provincial government has announced that its replacement, the Skilled Trades Ontario agency, has officially launched. The Ontario government is viewing this new institution as a step toward better aligning the province with a model that addresses the ever-increasing demand for skilled trades workers. Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Monte McNaughton said that this announcement marks a “redrawing” of the system that will better streamline the path to education for Ontario’s tradespeople. Skilled Trades Ontario’s inaugural chair, Michael Sherrard, said “The creation of Skilled Trades Ontario is an important milestone, and one I am thrilled to be a part of leading. The implementation of a successful apprenticeship and skilled trades system is critical to the economic growth and success of our province, and today’s announcement is the next step in securing that future for us all.”
The Skills Trades Ontario agency website features comprehensive guides on countless Canadian trades, including Auto Body Repairer. Guides and information can be viewed at skilledtradesontario.com.
FAIR TRADES
With current projections predicting that about 700,000 skilled trades workers will have retired from 2019 to 2028, the federal government is hoping that its new online skilled trades platform will help engage new tradespeople and fill the gap. The government is hoping that Canada.ca/ skilled-trades will prove to be a one-stop-shop for new and experienced tradespeople and are supplementing its launch with the announcement of annual $1 billion investments for apprenticeship grants, loans, tax credits, Employment Insurance benefits during in-school training, project funding, as well as support for the Red Seal Program.
ON TOUR
A welding program at a New Brunswick high school received valet treatment in January thanks to the “Welding on Wheels” trailer, which found its new temporary home at Rothesay High School in Fredericton, N.B. The trailer is built to accommodate 16 students and eight welding booths and also features a grinding and cutting station and a testing area.
The $240,000 cost of building the trailer was split equally among the partners, who include the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Ocean Steel & Construction Ltd. and Source Atlantic Ltd.
NEO SCOTIA 3000
Nova Scotia has been riding a high since its population broke the one million mark in December and has announced a plan to double the population by 2060 through a skilled trades recruitment campaign. “Our population is growing at record rates. We want healthcare workers and skilled tradespeople to know there’s both a great life and a great job waiting for them,” said Premier Tim Houston. Houston’s plan aims to bring 25,000 new Nova Scotians to the province by returning provincial taxes on the first $50,000 of income for workers aged 30 years and under in designated trades. “We are unabashedly asking for workers in the trades and in healthcare to make Nova Scotia their home,” said Jill Balser, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration.
