Provincial exam centres re-open
Following advice from its Chief Medical Officer, the Ontario government announced on September 8 that it has reopened all 24 provincial centres for apprenticeship and trade-related certifications.
Centres across the province were shut down for in-person examinations in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As they re-open, the sites will be required to put safety measures in place such as mandating the wearing of masks, spacing exam desks at least two metres apart, and limiting the number of examinees at exam sittings.
"Our government's top priority remains the safety of all workers, including our skilled trade workers," said Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton. “We are committed to supporting their journey to lifelong success, and it is critical that they finish their apprenticeships, become journeypersons and reap the rewards for their hard work so far."
Apprentices and journeyperson applicants normally have a 12-month deadline to pass the trade exam in order to maintain their status. The province issued a six-month extension on March 18, 2020 due to COVID-19. The extension applied to more than 1,000 people working in the province.
The ministry is drawing on its partnerships with external training delivery agents, such as unions and colleges, to help alleviate the accumulated backlog by providing space to host exams. Since exam sittings gradually resumed, starting on August 10, there have been five sessions scheduled at partner sites, while more than 600 exams have been written at ministry exam centres.
In typical years, exam centres process 1,700 applicants monthly.
As of August 28, the ministry has contacted 83 percent of clients who were waiting to write an exam.