15,000 people in Atlantic Canada to benefit from Government of Canada and Atlantic provinces' apprenticeship harmonization efforts

ST. JOHN'S, Oct. 13, 2017 /CNW/ - To grow our economy and strengthen the middle class, Atlantic Canadians must have access to the skills training they need to find and keep good, well-paying jobs in Atlantic Canada.

The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, and the Honourable Al Hawkins, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour for Newfoundland and Labrador announced today the harmonization of apprenticeship requirements for six new Red Seal trades. In total, 16 Red Seal trades will now be harmonized across Atlantic provinces, thanks to this new federal investment of $960,000. It is expected that 15,000 apprentices per year across Atlantic Canada will benefit as a result of this harmonization.

The Atlantic Apprenticeship Harmonization Project will help keep apprentices in Atlantic Canada, increase their apprenticeship completion rates, and help address skills shortages in Atlantic Provinces.

The new investment will help make training requirements, certification and standards more consistent in the following six trades: truck and transport mechanic, heavy duty equipment technician, automotive service technician, sprinkler system installer, construction boilermaker, and industrial mechanic (millwright). 

The project also includes the development of a $13.8 million shared IT system supported by $4.86 million from the Federal Government, with the Atlantic provinces and Manitoba contributing the remainder. The shared IT system will provide online access to complete forms, process payments, log hours and complete a wide variety of other tasks that are currently paper-based and time-consuming.

The Atlantic Apprenticeship Harmonization Project will now harmonize a total of 16 trades across the Atlantic region, with the Government of Canada contributing over $7.6 million and the Atlantic provinces and Manitoba contributing over $10 million to the project.

Quotes

"Helping apprentices complete their training and get jobs in Atlantic Canada is critical to growing our middle class and strengthening our economy. Harmonizing apprenticeship requirements will make it easier for Canadians to access the training they need to find and keep good, well-paying jobs."
– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour

 "A shared IT system and the continuing implementation of the Atlantic Apprenticeship Harmonization Project will benefit apprentices, journeypersons, training institutions and employers throughout the province. This is a fantastic opportunity for Newfoundland and Labrador as we continue our efforts to grow and diversify the economy and create a climate that is conducive to private sector employment."
– The Honourable Al Hawkins, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

"Apprentices and journeypersons contribute to economic development throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, including rural and remote areas. A shared apprenticeship management system will simplify administrative tasks and free them to focus on advancing in their careers."
– David Harris, Chair, Provincial Apprenticeship and Certification Board

"The Atlantic Apprenticeship Harmonization Project supports economic growth and job creation in our region by making it easier for apprentices to train and work in their field within Atlantic Canada. The new Apprenticeship Management Solution represents a successful partnership with the federal government, the Atlantic provinces and Manitoba to modernize our systems and improve services to apprentices and employers."
– The Honourable Gilles LePage, Minister of Labour, Employment and Population Growth, Government of New Brunswick

"Prince Edward Island is committed to fostering and supporting a highly skilled PEI workforce. Harmonizing 10 trades and the commitment to work on harmonizing an additional six trades, along with the new shared IT system, will make it easier for PEI trades people, employers, and training providers to advance Red Seal certification." 
– The Honourable Sonny Gallant, Minister of Workforce and Advanced Learning, Government of Prince Edward Island

"It's important that we make it easier for apprentices to get the training they need and that we make it easier for businesses to operate in the province. Adopting consistent training and modernizing our IT systems will further improve skilled trades in Nova Scotia."
– The Honourable Labi Kousoulis, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education, Government of Nova Scotia

Quick Facts

• The Atlantic Apprenticeship Harmonization Project was designed to standardize the requirements for apprentices in trade occupations across Atlantic Canada.
• The Government of Canada invests significantly in apprenticeship through grants, loans, tax credits, Employment Insurance benefits, project funding and the Red Seal program.
• The Government of Canada is continually working with the provinces and territories to harmonize more apprenticeship training requirements in targeted Red Seal trades. Harmonization aims to improve the mobility of apprentices, support an increase in their completion rates, enable employers to access a larger pool of apprentices and increase consistency across apprenticeship systems. 
• The Government also recently launched the new Union Training and Innovation Program with $10 million in funding for 2017-2018 and $25 million annually.

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Backgrounder

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Atlantic Apprenticeship Harmonization Project
Led by the Council of Atlantic Premiers (CAP), the Atlantic Apprenticeship Harmonization Project is designed to standardize the requirements for apprentices in 16 trades across Atlantic Canada. It will also increase the efficiency of the apprenticeship system across the Atlantic region.

Under the first phase of the project, the Government of Canada invested $6.6 million to harmonize 10 trades across the Atlantic provinces. These trades are bricklayer, cook, welder, metal fabricator, construction electrician, industrial electrician, carpenter, instrumentation and control technician, plumber and steamfitter-pipefitter. They were selected based on factors including the mobility of the trade, related trades and volume of apprentices as well as the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship's national harmonization plans.

Building on the success of the harmonization of the initial 10 trades, CAP will now harmonize an additional 6 trades. 

Harmonization of apprenticeship training across Canada
The Government of Canada is also working with the provinces and territories to harmonize apprenticeship training requirements in targeted Red Seal trades. Harmonization aims to improve the mobility of apprentices, support an increase in their completion rates, enable employers to access a larger pool of apprentices and increase consistency across apprenticeship systems.

Jurisdictions have different apprenticeship systems, with different standards, names, curricula and policies. They are working towards adopting the same trade name, number of training levels and total hours of training (in school and on-the-job) as well as consistent sequencing for technical training content. 

In October 2016, the Forum of Labour Market Ministers reaffirmed its commitment to harmonizing apprenticeship training for 30 Red Seal trades in most jurisdictions (outside Quebec) by 2020, including reaching two-thirds of Red Seal apprentices by September 2017.

Union Training and Innovation Program
The new Union Training and Innovation Program is providing approximately $10 million in funding in 2017–18 and $25 million annually to support union-based apprenticeship training, innovation and enhanced partnerships in the Red Seal trades.

The program has two streams of funding. Under the first stream, unions representing workers in Red Seal trades receive financial support to purchase up-to-date training equipment and materials so workers can have the right skills required on the job site. The second stream provides support for innovative approaches to address ongoing challenges limiting apprenticeship outcomes. The Union Training and Innovation Program also helps groups who face additional barriers to participation and success in the skilled trades such as women and Indigenous people.

Flexibility and Innovation in Apprenticeship Technical Training
The Government is investing $11 million in the Flexibility and Innovation in Apprenticeship Technical Training (FIATT) Pilot. This pilot funds third-party organizations to test innovative and flexible approaches to improve access to apprenticeship training and increase completion rates.

This involves working with organizations to look at different styles of learning and alternative forms of training delivery to help apprentices complete their technical training and obtain a journeyperson certificate of qualification. Some examples include simulator training, mobile classrooms and e-learning modules. A total of 11 projects have been approved for funding.

Red Seal trades
Employment and Social Development Canada works with the provincial and territorial apprenticeship authorities through the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) to manage and deliver the Red Seal Program.

A Red Seal trade is a trade or occupation that has been designated by the CCDA for inclusion in the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program. The training and certification are based on a national standard, and provinces and territories participating in the program for that trade affix a Red Seal to the certificates of candidates who meet the standard. There are a total of 56 Red Seal trades in Canada.

The Red Seal endorsement, when affixed to a provincial or territorial trade certificate, indicates that a tradesperson has met a nationally recognized standard in their trade. The Red Seal endorsement is widely recognized and respected by the trades industry across Canada and internationally. It also allows qualified tradespeople to practice their trade in any province or territory without having to write additional examinations, thus improving labour mobility in Canada.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For media enquiries, please contact: Matt Pascuzzo, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P., Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, [email protected], 819-654-4183; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]; Ryan Crocker, Advanced Education, Skills and Labour, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, 709-729-1795, 709-725-9595, [email protected]; Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, Government of New Brunswick, 506-453-3981; Katie MacDonald, Workforce and Advanced Learning, Government of Prince Edward Island, 902-314-3996, [email protected]; Lisa Jarrett, Labour and Advanced Education, Government of Nova Scotia, 902-424-5301, [email protected]