canadiancontractor
Praise for OCOT “wind down” and apprenticeship ratios moving to 1:1 in Ontario
"I would like to see the ESA evaluated as well," says Al
Another comment further to the Ontario government’s announcement that apprenticeship ratios will be reduced to 1:1 – and the Ontario College of Trades “wound down” sometime in 2019…
I am glad that the Ontario government is reducing the red tape, and getting rid of the Ontario College of Trades. I would like to see the ESA evaluated as well, and also CSA. I see many organizations misusing the word “safety.”
1:1 apprentice ratio is a good idea to make apprenticeship more easily accessible. In my trade, the required practical experience is 9,000 hours.That is a torture. This should be reduced to 6,000 hours and the school time increased.
Today, many employers are asking for multiple trades, and the excessive time makes it difficult. Could we also clean up mistakes in the Certificate of Qualification exams? Also adding a practical part to the exam would help.
Al
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We are indifferent to the phasing out of OCOT. We do hope however that their online public register search engine will be maintained as a perk of paying membership fees which likely will continue in the hands of the Ministry of Advance Education.
In the electrical field, the 1:1 ratio is not an ideal arrangement though we understand the rational for implementing it. We think it would be better if the ratios were stagger and based on an apprentice’s term of study. Why?
First of all, it provides opportunity for apprentices to learn how to mentor other apprentices under the supervision of a Journeyperson. An ideal arrangement would be to have one journeyperson oversee a experience apprentice or journeyperson candidate AND an apprentice new to the trade. This provision would better equip the veteran apprentice for the responsibility of mentoring apprentices; a responsibility that will be expected of them when they gain the status of journeyperson. It provides opportunity for an apprentice to experiment and discover their style of leadership rather than just observe another persons.
Most employers expect a journeyperson to just know how to oversee/mentor an apprentice. We have discovered that this is a rare skill set to find in a journeyperson, especially a recently qualified one.
Secondly, another flaw of the 1:1 ratio is the lack of consideration for what happens to an apprentice when a journeyperson leaves their position or need to take a leave of absence within a company. Over the years, we have had to lay off far too many good apprentices that we invested much into while searching for a replacement journeyperson. This is not good for the apprentice who is working hard to get their 9000 hours of experience on the job. It also negatively affects the company’s ability to provide stability and a positive nurturing environment to its employees.
IF the 1:1 ratio was to be maintained in Ontario, could they not consider having a pro-visionary rule in place for such circumstances. Could they not consider providing 3-6 months grace where the ratio could be 1:2 (one journeyperson to two apprentices) while the company is in search for replacement/substitute journeyperson. It is not a quick process to hire a suitable licensed journeyperson. How can a smaller company especially possibly avoid laying off apprentices with the 1:1 ratio? We empathize with why smaller companies might be tempted to not comply with the 1:1 ratio despite it being ethically wrong.
Hi to whom this may interest, 1:1 apprenticeship ratios, is good for small family business, a father or mother can have their own sons or daughters in their own trade, and an apprentice second and third year working beside a great journeyperson know how to teach proper way in the trade, should be allowed to have first year apprentice.
When comes to small family trade business, in here Ontario enter into a disgraceful trade avenues, its disgusting, compare to other countries and their developments. Our politicians love to preach proud this and that, really? in what ? Majority of developed business are outsiders, and we Ontarians became their slaves. Our politicians have no clue what they are doing, only hope Doug Ford will wake up in time and fix all wrongs down by the pricks.
Trades people need respect and dignity for what they do in Ontario, so they should be free to operate and be responsible for their works without the interference of any third parties, inspectors and money collectors, like all the parasitic agencies in all trades levels.