Premier John Horgan aims to put an end to B.C.B次元官网网址檚 long-running experiment in delivery of trade apprenticeship training, ordering the labour and advanced education ministers to B次元官网网址渞estore the compulsory trades systemB次元官网网址� during the NDP governmentB次元官网网址檚 four-year mandate.

HorganB次元官网网址檚 objective is the same as his often-stated goal for union-only public construction: to increase the number of apprentices and especially those who go on to complete their trade tickets. Both efforts are backed by the B.C. and Yukon Building Trades Council and the B.C. Federation of Labour, which called for a return to compulsory trades training when HorganB次元官网网址檚 NDP government was elected in 2017.

With a majority mandate, stage one is to expand public construction projects that are restricted to 19 mostly U.S.-based international unions. The Pattullo bridge replacement serves as the model for a deal that requires every worker to join an approved union within 30 days. The 330-page B次元官网网址淐ommunity Benefits AgreementB次元官网网址� (CBA) with the unions requires 25 per cent of jobs for apprentices and attempts to restrict hiring to people who live within 100 km of the project.

Stage two is to remake the , the Crown corporation set up in 2003 by Gordon CampbellB次元官网网址檚 B.C. Liberal government to manage apprenticeships and provide more accessible training for in-demand skills.

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HorganB次元官网网址檚 new to returning Labour Minister Harry Bains and newly appointed Advanced Education Minister Ann Kang say compulsory trades are B次元官网网址渢o improve safety and give more workers a path to apprenticeship completion.B次元官网网址� Critics point out that the vast majority of traditional trades work now is with non-union employers and those with more flexible workplaces.

B次元官网网址淕iven that fully 85 per cent of the nearly 250,000 men and women who work in construction in B.C. work for open-shop (non-building trades) companies, the government must ensure there is a level playing field when it comes to issuing contracts for taxpayer-funded infrastructure,B次元官网网址� says Chris Gardner, president of the Independent Contractors and Business Association. B次元官网网址淕iving preferential status to selected unions is simply not fair, and the record on the projects tendered to date under CBAs is abundantly clear. Taxpayers are paying about 30 per cent more and getting less.B次元官网网址�

In a 2017 , the B.C. Federation of Labour argued that B.C.B次元官网网址檚 industry training system is unlike any other province. The report described it as the B次元官网网址渕odularization of trades training: instead of covering the full scope of a large, varied trade like carpentry, an individual could acquire certification as a former, framer, and finishing carpenter through a series of progressive credentialsB次元官网网址� or modules.

The B.C. Fed argues this deregulation shifted apprenticeships in favour of employers and their immediate skill needs, and it wants authority over apprenticeships shifted back to its member unions. GardnerB次元官网网址檚 the B.C. Building TradesB次元官网网址� apprenticeships represent only 15 per cent of the total, and compulsory trades are a further restriction on new entry.

The Industry Training AuthorityB次元官网网址檚 efforts at innovation include a series of pilot projects launched at post-secondary institutions in 2016, not dependent on apprenticeships with employer sponsors. They included 75 spaces at North Island College for B次元官网网址渇oundation programs: electrician, heavy equipment operator, welder, aircraft structural technician and carpenter.B次元官网网址�

Camosun College was funded for two programs, 10 training spaces for piping trades and eight for level three professional cooks. Okanagan College received seven spaces for level one electrician training, and Vancouver Community College was accepted for six automotive glass technician spots. Vancouver Island University received 12 spaces for level one baker training.

tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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