March 13, 2008

Labour

CFIB seeks expanded ratio for apprentices

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has renewed its call for changes to apprenticeship programs because long-term vacancies in industries such as construction are on the rise.

“Ideally, we need to get journeyperson-apprentice ratios to 1:1,” said Satinder Chera, Ontario Director at CFIB. “If British Columbia and Alberta can, why can’t we? There has to be a way to fix this problem — we are handcuffing ourselves.”

Long-term vacancies (four months or more in length) have increased in every Ontario sector, the CFIB says in its recent Help Wanted report. The greatest increase was in construction, hospitality and primary industries.

“The shortage of labour is a complex issue, but one part of the solution is getting people trained to meet the needs of the marketplace,” Chera said.

Help Wanted indicates that the national long-term vacancy rate rose to 4.4 per cent in 2007 up from 3.6 per cent the previous year, meaning 309,000 jobs went unfilled. Ontario’s rate jumped to 3.5 per cent from 2.6 per cent. An overhaul of journeyperson-apprentice ratios is needed to tackle the shortage of qualified labour, Chera said.

“Business owners and young people tell us the rigid journeyperson-apprentice ratios fixed by the government limit or prevent companies from taking on apprentices,” he explained. Ontario’s regulations require employers in certain trades to employ a number of journeypersons before they can qualify to train apprentices.

The ratio can be as high as seven journeypersons to one apprentice. Chera said he understands past issues of health and safety, practicality and union opposition has hindered the development of lower ratios.

“If we want to keep this economy growing we have to get a change made,” said Chera. “The ratios as they are now tend to favour big business but they are difficult for the small business sector like our members.”

CFIB represents more than 105,000 business owners, who collectively employ 1.25 million Canadians and account for $75 billion in GDP.

CFIB research indicates that close to a third of Ontario small businesses find current ratios a major obstacle to apprenticeship training.

In September 2007 journeyperson-apprentice ratio changes were made in the Trades Qualification and Apprenticeship Act.

Officials from both the Canada Masonry Centre and the Architectural Glass and Metal Contractors Association said then that the new ratios allowed for more flexibility.

Under the changes a brick and stone mason employer is required to add one apprentice for every three additional journeypersons as opposed to every five.

The ratio change for architectural glass and metal technicians was that for every two additional journeypersons in the architectural glass and metal trade, there must be one apprentice.

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