Ontario College of Trades marks one year anniversary

Consumer protection and promotion of skilled trades a priority

TORONTO, April 8, 2014 /CNW/ - Skilled trades professionals and industry advocates joined together at Queen's Park today to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Ontario College of Trades (the College) and support its mandate to protect consumers and promote the trades.

"For the first time in Ontario, the public can now confirm if a person working in a compulsory trade, whether he or she is an electrician or an automotive service technician, has the certification to do the job through a public register," says CEO and Registrar David Tsubouchi.

Tsubouchi was joined by hard working tradespeople who came out to show their support for the College, the self-governing regulatory body that allows skilled trades professionals to govern and regulate their own industry, a right that has been enjoyed by many other professions for years including teachers, real estate agents, nurses, travel agents etc.

"The College has already helped our industry through better enforcement to ensure a level playing field for shops and technicians and giving the industry through our Trade Board a real opportunity to improve training standards to meet future trade needs,"  said John Norris, Executive Director of Collision Industry Information Association (CIIA).

"Decisions are now made by tradespeople as opposed to politicians, and for the first time, those decisions are made in a public and transparent manner," said Pat Blackwood, Vice Chair of the College.

"The Ontario College of Trades is a much-needed resource for the men and women working in the trades. It also gives the consumer piece of mind, knowing they are hiring men and women who are knowledgeable, professional and qualified to complete the job in the best way possible," said Gail Smyth, Executive Director of Skills Canada-Ontario.

In the past year, the College has taken significant steps to protect the public interest and promote skilled trades by:

• Creating a public register of members to allow the public to easily confirm a tradesperson's qualifications
• Reviewing all 33 trades with journeyperson-apprentice ratios — first time ever in Ontario
• Completing close to 6,000 field inspections
• Issuing 131 Provincial Offences Notices (tickets).

Quick Facts

• The Ontario College of Trades has over 260,000 active members.
• There are 22 trades designated as compulsory in Ontario. In order to practice in a compulsory trade, an individual must be one of the following: a licensed journeyperson — a holder of a valid Certificate of Qualification; or a journeyperson candidate; or a registered apprentice with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; or a holder of a provisional Certificate of Qualification.
• There are currently 134 trades designated as voluntary. Certification is offered in some voluntary trades, but is not a requirement to practise in the trade.

To learn more about the College or access the public register, visit www.collegeoftrades.ca. Follow us on Twitter @collegeoftrades.

SOURCE: Ontario College of Trades

For media inquiries, please contact:

Matthew Moir
647-847-3072
[email protected] 

Tyler Charlebois
647-847-3026
[email protected]