Op-Ed “Rebuilding Apprenticeship”

February 23, 2024

Author: Tanya Palson, Executive Director, Manitoba Building Trades 

Published: Winnipeg Free Press, February 23, 2024 

Manitoba needs a highly skilled workforce to support economic activity and spur greener infrastructure investment. In the workforce development landscape, apprenticeship programs are pillars of experiential learning and skill acquisition.

These programs play a pivotal role in shaping the workforce, fostering a culture of expertise, and ensuring a sustainable future for industries across the globe.

However, the integrity of apprenticeship programs is increasingly under threat, necessitating a concerted effort to preserve and enhance their effectiveness. We saw the deliberate dismantling of the apprenticeship program under the previous government through decisions like reducing supervision requirements for apprentices and a heavy focus on funding micro-credentials where there are already existing apprenticeship streams.

It has become too commonplace to prioritize short-term workforce needs at the expense of professional qualification and training. Sacrificing quality to generate quantity is not smart policy.

Apprenticeship programs provide a unique blend of classroom education and hands-on experience. Creating a well-rounded skill set is crucial in many trades and industries to bridge the gap between education and employment. To secure the future of our skilled workforce, we must prioritize the quality, inclusivity, and relevance of apprenticeship programs, recognizing them as invaluable contributors to the development of a robust and sustainable economy.

Looking at the construction workforce alone, Manitoba can expect 19 per cent of its current workforce to retire by 2032, according to BuildForce Canada. These retirements will create not only labour shortages, but severe skills shortages, as Manitoba’s most qualified and experienced red seal journeypersons disproportionately compose this cohort.

Replacing and growing the skilled workforce will rely on our ability to fill job vacancies with qualified skilled trades professionals. This means creating journeypersons — and this means apprenticeship completions.

The integrity of apprenticeship programs relies on the completion rates of individuals receiving a red-seal ticket. Being an apprentice is not a career; it’s a training program with a wage subsidy. The career many industries are trying so desperately to promote is that of a journeyperson.

Completion of the Red Seal signifies a tangible achievement for apprentices. It is a testament to their dedication, perseverance, and commitment to mastering a craft. Recognizing the importance of apprenticeship completion reinforces a culture that values hard work and commitment, which are integral to individual success and the overall health of industries.

Moreover, a higher apprenticeship completion rate directly translates into a more skilled and competent workforce. To address the current skills gap effectively, we must prioritize and celebrate the completion of apprenticeship programs as a strategic investment in our collective future.

Focusing on apprenticeship completion makes economic sense. Completed apprenticeships contribute to a more robust and competitive economy by supplying industries with skilled workers. A workforce with comprehensive training and expertise is better positioned to innovate, adapt to technological advancements, and drive economic growth.

As an industry, we are pouring resources into popularizing the trades, mostly with promises of good wages without the burden of university tuition.

However, in the current work picture, many apprentices face the reality of relatively low wages, cyclical employment, deference to the employer’s demands, and difficulty navigating department administration. At the same time, there are extreme shortages of skilled labour already happening, putting many businesses in a challenging position.

For example, a significant deterrent to advancing levels as an apprentice is the unwillingness of employers to release apprentice employees to attend school because losing a body for eight weeks seems like an impossibility for employers needing to get jobs done on time.

But the result is death by a thousand cuts; as more and more contractors take this approach, the only outcome in the long run is a de-skilled workforce. A workforce with lots of hours but limited classroom time. Our industry needs to maintain quality within our workforce now more than ever.

Government and industry collaboration is crucial in protecting the integrity of apprenticeships. Employers, educational institutions, and policymakers must work together to create an environment that values and facilitates the successful completion of apprenticeships.

Manitoba is on the cusp of generationally significant building investments to support the green transition. How are we going to train our construction workforce to this new reality? I suggest having a workforce that is highly skilled and adaptable in the first place.