Apprenticeship Futures Commission Report Makes 22 Recommendations

Report looks at apprenticeship training and the need for skilled workers in Manitoba.

The Apprenticeship Futures Commission was established in September 2007 to review Manitoba's apprenticeship system and make recommendations on how to modernize and expand its capacity to better meet the needs of our expanding labour market and economy. Their report has now been released to the public.

The report notes that Manitoba's robust economy has resulted in lowered worker availability, including in the skilled trades which are the products of the Apprenticeship and Training system. As of last December, fewer than 6300 women and men were registered as apprentices in Manitoba, only about one per cent of working people.

During the review, employers testified that their inability to attract and retain apprentices is preventing them from expanding their operations and creating new jobs - an issue that is bound to be made worse as aging journeyed workers (those who have completed apprenticeships and are certified as skilled workers) retire or are forced to leave the workforce for other reasons.

This is troubling for new people entering the workforce - young people, Aboriginal workers and new Canadians, groups that are rapidly expanding. Twenty-five per cent of the Canadian workforce is expected to be made up by Aboriginal workers by the year 2025.

Another key observation contained in the report is that as many as 70 per cent of Manitobans don't have a clear understanding of the Apprenticeship and Training system. The report contains a total of 22 recommendations including:

• increasing the capacity of the technical training system to meet the projected need for skilled tradespeople including better partnerships with the public school system;
• creating a comprehensive public promotion and education campaign about apprenticeship in Manitoba;
• exploring the introduction of a variety of incentives to encourage increased employer participation in the apprenticeship system;
• enhancing the financial support to apprentices during in-school training and pursuing discussions to significantly reduce the waiting period for apprentices;
• significantly increasing the participation of under-represented groups in the apprenticeship system in Manitoba (Aboriginal people, new Canadians, women and the disabled); and
• reviewing existing provincial legislation and regulations to support the growth of technical training spaces.

Trade Minister Andrew Swan said "A highly-skilled workforce is vital to Manitoba's economic prosperity. These recommendations will allow us to build on our accomplishments, including a 65 per cent increase in apprenticeships since 1999, and will help us meet our commitment to add an additional 4,000 apprenticeship training spaces over the next four years.

The Apprenticeship Futures Commission had twelve members, including Manitoba Federation of Labour President Darlene Dziewit and David Martin, Executive Director of the Manitoba Building and Construction Trades Council. It was chaired by Leonard Harapiak, a provincial government Cabinet Minister in the 1980's.