July 2, 2008

Skills Certification

Immigrant training questioned by Alberta electricians’ union

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

The electricians’ trade union in Alberta is screening some new immigrants because of concerns over certification.

Some Chinese immigrants are seeking high-paying employment on oilsands projects as electricians, but the union doesn’t trust the federal government’s regulation of Red Seal qualifications.

“People from outside Canada come for a better life.

“They go to Ontario and say they were qualified as electricians and are allowed to challenge the provincial Red Seal,” said Tim Brower, business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 424.

Most of the immigrant workers are qualified electricians, who write the electricians trade exams in Ontario and trade in their certificates for the equivalent document in Alberta.

However, an increasing number of the workers obtained their diplomas without gaining the proper experience.

According to the union, some of these newly ticketed electricians have never been trained properly.

“Some of these people are good and have qualifications. Some people have never been qualified or on a construction site in their lives,” Brower said.

The Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology confirmed it has suspended the acceptance of all industrial electrician certificates issued from outside Alberta.

“There was criticism of certified industrial engineers coming in from Ontario,” said Donna McColl, assistant director of communication with the Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology.

“Questions were asked about the qualifications of some folks on the job site. The Red Seal certification was obtained in Ontario from a certain organization and that organization is currently under investigation.”

According to Brower, there is a company in Ontario that teaches people to challenge the provincial Red Seal exam, with the help of an interpreter.

However, after these electricians are hired, they no longer have the assistance of the interpreter. For some of these workers, it became clear that they were not qualified construction electricians.

“The school in Ontario was training people to challenge the exam and giving them a road map to Alberta,” he said.

In response to the situation, the IBEW is checking the references and the work histories of Chinese and Indian immigrants, before they obtain jobs in the Alberta oilsands.

“We have always trusted the government to make sure that a high standard is maintained, but we can’t trust the government anymore,” said Brower.

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