CLAC has provided its opinion to the Ontario government on what should be done to the province’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system in the wake of the dissolution of the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT).

The union made its submission to the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development on January 24. The document contains a number of recommendations across five key areas.

On worker registration, CLAC says it would like to see OCOT’s current public registry and database maintained, given that it provides the ability to verify a worker’s credentials, provides useful data on outcomes and trends in the apprenticeship and skilled trades system, and supports enforcement efforts. It recommends, however that administration of the registration system reside in a dedicated division within the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. CLAC also recommends preserving the role of case managers, who can help apprentices and employer sponsors navigate the at-times complex system.

CLAC would like to see the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development assume enforcement duties and increase the number of inspectors it uses to support compliance efforts. Those inspectors could also be used to perform on-site health and safety inspections.

The union also suggests that scope of work definitions remain unchanged from those described in the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, and that any claims relating to work jurisdictions be resolved via the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

The CLAC submission references registered training agreements (RTAs) and suggests that sponsorship groups such as Support Ontario Youth be permitted to enter into such agreements with apprentices. RTAs, says CLAC, help small and medium-sized companies take on apprentices when they might not otherwise be able to, help apprentices win and keep jobs, help apprentices prepare for their certificate of qualification exams.

Finally, CLAC lists a number of OCOT functions that it says are worth preserving. These include requiring employers to register new apprentices immediately upon hire; maintaining a public register of apprentices; and maintaining the journeyperson candidate classification so an individual can stay in for up to one year after a certificate of apprenticeship is issued.

“As is currently the case, the certificate of qualification exam may be written any time, but a candidate can’t work in a compulsory trade one year after a certificate of apprenticeship has been issued.”

Removing this last option, says CLAC, will lead to a spike in non-completions.